Sunday Recap: More Than Your Programming

This past Sunday we continued our At The Movies series with The Wild Robot — the story of Roz, a robot stranded on an island who discovers compassion, sacrifice, and purpose far beyond her original programming.

That word “programming” became our theme. Many of us feel trapped by our own: family dysfunction, past mistakes, brokenness, or the circumstances we were born into. But the gospel declares something greater: in Christ, we are more than our programming.

We looked at four truths from Scripture:

• We were created with purpose. God’s Word says we are His workmanship, His poiema, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). You are not an accident.

• Discovering purpose takes endurance. Trials shape us. Rejection refines us. And as Romans 5 and James 1 remind us, nothing is wasted with God.

• Our purpose is shaped in community. Just as Roz discovered who she was by loving Brightbill and living in community, we discover our purpose in the body of Christ.

• Our ultimate purpose is to love God and love others. Jesus summed up the law and the prophets in this calling (Matthew 22:37–39). Legacy City says it this way: We are For God and His Kingdom. We are For People, and this City.

In the end, Roz’s story points us to Jesus: rejected yet compassionate, sacrificial in love, resurrected in hope, and promising to return.

Whatever “programming” you feel stuck in today, remember this: in Christ, you are a new creation. You were made for more.

Sunday Recap: Hope in the Storm

This week at Legacy City, we continued our At The Movies series with Twisters (2024) — a film about tornadoes, disaster, and the people who risk their lives to bring hope in the middle of catastrophe.

Storms make a fitting metaphor for life. Some storms are literal, like Hurricane Helene that devastated our city a year ago. Others are personal: a cancer diagnosis, an unexpected divorce, the loss of a job, or the weight of anxiety and grief. And sometimes, we face storms as a nation — like the recent tragedy that left so many hurting and searching for answers.

The Bible doesn’t hide from the reality of storms. In fact, Jesus told us plainly in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

On Sunday, we explored two storm stories from the gospels that remind us of God’s power and presence:

• In Mark 4, Jesus calmed the storm with just a word, showing His authority over creation itself. The disciples learned that storms may shake our lives, but they do not shake the One who holds our lives.

• In Matthew 14, Jesus walked on the waves toward His disciples and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Hope isn’t found in the absence of storms — it’s found in the presence of Christ in the middle of them.

From these stories — and from the film — we were reminded of four key truths:

• Storms will come. Following Jesus doesn’t exempt us from pain, but it does mean we are never alone in it.

• Our control is limited, but God’s sovereignty is not. We often reach the end of ourselves, but God is never at the end of His strength.

• Hope shines in the midst of catastrophe. Jesus speaks peace right in the middle of the chaos.

• The cross is our ultimate shelter. No storm of sin, death, or judgment can overcome the love of Christ.

Whatever storm you’re facing today — whether personal, communal, or national — remember this: catastrophe does not have the final word. Christ does. He is our refuge, our anchor, and our hope.

As Hebrews 6:19 reminds us: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Sunday Recap: Taming the Dragons of Fear

This weekend we kicked off At The Movies 2025 with DreamWorks’ live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. Popcorn was popping, sodas were fizzing, and more importantly, God was moving.

Now, if you’re new to Legacy City or new to this series, you might be wondering — why in the world are we talking about movies in church? It’s simple: movies are like modern parables. They’re stories that capture our imagination, and stories can be powerful bridges to the greatest story of all — the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Big Idea

The theme of How to Train Your Dragon is all about fear and trust. Hiccup, a Viking misfit, is expected to kill dragons to prove himself. But instead of giving in to fear, he chooses compassion, trust, and courage — and it changes his life and his whole community.

And isn’t that just like us? Fear tries to define us. But God calls us to something better.

4 Truths We Learned Together

1. Fear Can Hold Us Back

• 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control.”

• Fear is a thief. It robs us of joy, calling, and opportunity. But God replaces fear with His Spirit — giving us courage rooted in His power, love, and sovereignty.

2. Trust Opens the Door to Transformation

• Psalm 56:3–4 — “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

• Just as Hiccup spared Toothless, choosing trust over fear, transformation begins for us when we choose to trust God over our own understanding.

3. Trust Requires Action

• James 2:17 — “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

• Trust isn’t passive — it moves our feet. Hiccup took a risk to show Astrid the truth. In the same way, our trust in God should show up in obedience and bold steps of faith.

4. Trust Leads to Reconciliation and Redemption

• Romans 5:8 — “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

• At the climax, dragons and Vikings are reconciled. That points us to the gospel: Jesus’ sacrifice reconciles us to God and one another. Fear divides, but Christ redeems.

Your Next Step

Here’s the question I left us with: Where is fear holding you back, and where is God calling you to trust Him?

• If fear has been paralyzing you, today is the day to lay it down before God.

• If He’s been calling you to take a step of faith, today is the day to act.

• If there’s a broken relationship, today is the day to start the process of reconciliation.

• And if you’ve never trusted Jesus as Savior, today is the day of salvation.

Church, we cannot live this life coasting or in neutral. Will fear define you, or will faith define you?

As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Let’s be a people not marked by fear, but by faith.

Tracing the Streams of the Church

Our third Summer Lecture Series of the Summer was last week on the topic of Church History. We covered roughly 1000 years of church history from a 30,000 ft view over about an hour. Below, you’ll find a rough outline of the content, as well as the audio from the teaching. Enjoy!

Introduction

• The Church’s history as a branching river/tree from one source: Jesus Christ.

• Unity in the early Church: creeds, shared faith, diverse expressions.

• Reasons to study this history:

  1. Know our “family history.”

  2. Foster humility and grace toward other believers.

  3. Anchor in the unchanging gospel.

I. The Great Schism (1054)

• Background: Political, linguistic, cultural drift between East & West.

• Key tensions:

  1. Filioque Clause – theological and political dispute.

  2. Papal authority – universal jurisdiction vs. conciliar model.

  3. Cultural rivalry – liturgical and political differences.

• Breaking point: Mutual excommunications (Pope Leo IX & Patriarch Cerularius).

• Legacy: Emergence of Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox Churches.

II. The Late Medieval Church (1054–1500s)

• Church centrality: Religious, cultural, and social hub.

• Renewal movements: Benedictines, Cluniacs, Cistercians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians.

• Intellectual & spiritual life: Scholasticism (Aquinas) and Mysticism (Julian of Norwich).

• Corruption & crises: Simony, nepotism, indulgence abuse, Avignon Papacy, Great Western Schism.

• Pre-Reformation voices: Waldo, Wycliffe, Hus.

III. The Protestant Reformation (1517 onward)

• Martin Luther: Sparked by indulgence abuse; Ninety-Five Theses (1517).

• Core “Solas”: Scripture, Faith, Grace, Christ, Glory to God.

• Spread of reform:

  • Zwingli (Zurich)

  • Calvin (Geneva)

  • Anabaptists

  • English Reformation (Anglicanism)

• Catholic Counter-Reformation: Council of Trent, Jesuits.

• Outcomes: Religious wars, Bible translation, denominational families.

IV. Post-Reformation & Denominational Expansion (1600s–1800s)

• Protestant families: Lutheran, Reformed/Presbyterian, Anglican, Anabaptist heirs.

• Baptists: Believers’ baptism, local autonomy, religious liberty.

• Revivals: Pietism, First & Second Great Awakenings, Methodism.

• Global missions: Carey, Judson, Taylor.

V. The 20th Century & Modern Movements

• Pentecostalism: Azusa Street Revival; global growth.

• Fundamentalism vs. Modernism: Biblical authority vs. cultural adaptation.

• Ecumenical Movement: WCC, Vatican II, Lausanne.

• Charismatic Renewal: Spiritual gifts across traditions.

• Rise of Non-Denominationalism & Megachurches.

• Global shift: Explosive growth in Global South.

VI. Today’s Landscape

• Major streams: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal/Charismatic, Non-Denominational.

• Trends: Growth in Global South, secularization in the West, ethical/theological debates, digital influence, persecution resilience.

• Opportunities & challenges: Unity in diversity, shared mission.

Conclusion & Pastoral Charge

• Unity rooted in Christ, not uniformity.

• God raises reformers in every age.

• The gospel transcends culture and time.

• Call to love, learn from, and work with other believers for the kingdom.
  

Deconstruction & Progressive Christianity

Our second Summer Lecture Series of the Summer was last week on the topic of Deconstruction and Progressive Christianity, although we didn’t make it to the Progressive content during the live talk. Below, you’ll find a rough outline of the content, as well as the audio from the teaching. Enjoy!

I. Introduction

• Deconstruction is the process of critically dismantling previously held beliefs

  • In a Christian context, it often means breaking down the theological or church traditions, often in response to pain or perceived inconsistency.

• Cultural relevance: A growing trend especially among younger generations.

II. What is deconstruction?

• For many, deconstruction means throwing away not just cultural baggage, but the very core doctrines of Christianity such as:

  • The authority and inerrancy of Scripture

  • The uniqueness of Christ as Savior

  • The reality of sin and the necessity of the cross

  • The bodily resurrection of Jesus

  • The reality of eternal judgment

• Key Thought: "What are you deconstructing—and what are you rebuilding on?"

• Tim Keller once said: “To question your faith is not necessarily wrong, but you must doubt your doubts just as much as you doubt your beliefs.”

• Healthy vs. Unhealthy:

  • Healthy: Removing distortions to rediscover the Gospel.

  • Unhealthy: Rejecting core truths, leading to spiritual ruin.

III. Why Do People Deconstruct?

• Spiritual Abuse & Church Hurt

• Lack of Discipleship & Shallow Answers

• Cultural & Social Pressure

• Personal Pain & Suffering

  • C.S. Lewis wrote in A Grief Observed: “Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him.”

• Moral Autonomy

  • 2 Timothy 4:3–4

• Scandals & Broken Trust

  • People usually leave the faith not because they’ve discovered something new, but because something they trusted let them down.

IV. The Merits and Dangers of Deconstruction

• Merits

  • Purifying faith

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:21

    • Healthy deconstruction can strip away legalism, cultural baggage, or false teaching, making faith more authentic and biblical.

  • Challenging hypocrisy

    • Jesus was a master of “deconstructing” the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees. See Matthew 23:27.

  • Rebuilding stronger foundations

    • The goal of a healthy deconstruction is reconstruction — to build back stronger, truer, and more aligned with Christ.

• Dangers

  • No reconstruction (building on sand)

  • Subjectivism

    • Judges 21:25

  • Abandoning essential doctrine

  • Reacting emotionally over truth

    • Jeremiah 17:9

    • John Mark Comer: “Feelings are great servants, but terrible masters.”

  • Community Fragmentation

    • Hebrews 10:24–25

• If your faith is being deconstructed, make sure you know what you’re putting in its place.

V. How to Minister to Those Who Are Deconstructing

• Approach with Humility and Compassion

  • James 1:19

• Ask thoughtful questions

  • Curiosity communicates care

• Affirm what is good

  • Agree where you can. Affirm their longing for authentic faith.

• Keep Jesus at the center

  • If you keep Jesus at the center, you help separate cultural baggage from true faith.

• Avoid fear-based responses

• Pray faithfully

• Deconstruction is not a fight to win, but a journey to walk alongside.

VI. The Results of Deconstruction

• Stronger, Refined Faith

• Weaker, Confused Faith

• Walking Away Entirely

• Diluted, Redefined Faith

  • Progressive Christianity

  • Michael Kruger writes: “Progressive Christianity is not simply a different way of being Christian. It is another religion altogether.”

• Trend Toward Universalism

  • J.I. Packer, “Universalism is the ultimate way of saying ‘I don’t trust God to do what is right.’”

** This is where the live talk stopped; more detailed notes on the rest of the content below.**

VII. Progressive Christianity Defined

Progressive Christianity has become one of the most common destinations for those who deconstruct their faith without abandoning it altogether. But what exactly is it?

• Definition and Self-Understanding

  • Progressive Christians often describe themselves as open-minded, inclusive, and questioning.

  • They want to keep Jesus but remove what they see as the problematic, exclusive, or harsh teachings of historic Christianity.

  • According to the Center for Progressive Christianity, core principles include:

    • Viewing the Bible as a human book with divine inspiration, rather than the fully inspired Word of God

    • Emphasizing social justice as the primary mission of the church

    • Valuing personal experience and conscience above external doctrines

    • A willingness to reinterpret or discard historical doctrines if they conflict with modern sensibilities

• Doctrinal Distinctives

  • Scripture is not inerrant and may contain errors or cultural biases

  • Jesus is more of a moral teacher than a Savior from sin

  • The Atonement is not substitutionary but simply an example of love

  • Hell is downplayed or denied altogether

  • Salvation is broadly inclusive, sometimes universalist

  • Sin is redefined as systemic injustice more than personal rebellion

  • Ethics shift with cultural norms, especially regarding sexuality and gender

• Why It Appeals

  • It feels intellectually satisfying for people wounded by rigid religious backgrounds

  • It offers cultural acceptance in a progressive society

  • It removes uncomfortable doctrines like judgment and substitutionary atonement

  • It presents itself as a more “loving” and “inclusive” faith

• Biblical Response

VII. biblical Posture and response

It’s one thing to define Progressive Christianity or explain the phenomenon of deconstruction — it’s another to shepherd people through it. This section will help us think about how we minister to those who are questioning, doubting, or deconstructing.

• Listen Before You Lecture

  • James 1:19 — “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

  • Most people who deconstruct are wounded — either by hypocrisy, church hurt, or personal trauma

  • Our first calling is to be a non-anxious, empathetic presence

  • You cannot speak to the heart if you do not know the story

• Affirm Honest Questions

  • God is not afraid of honest questions — the Psalms are full of them

  • Doubt itself is not sin, but what we do with it matters

  • Jude 22 — “Have mercy on those who doubt.”

  • Create safe spaces where people can wrestle honestly with their faith

  • Reassure people that faith has a solid intellectual foundation

• Gently Challenge False Narratives

  • Many deconstruction stories are based on false versions of Christianity

  • legalism

  • performance-based spirituality

  • abusive leadership

  • distorted views of Scripture

  • Invite people to examine whether they have deconstructed something that was actually false rather than biblical

  • Tim Keller once said, “If you pull apart a counterfeit, you are not destroying the real thing.”

• Call People to the Real Jesus

  • Jesus is not a brand

  • He is not a political movement

  • He is not a mascot for a social cause

  • He is the crucified and risen Son of God

  • John 6:68 — “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

  • Encourage people to rebuild their faith on Jesus himself, not on Christian subculture

• Provide Community and Companionship

  • Isolation breeds deconstruction

  • An authentic community can heal

  • Invite doubters into small groups, Bible studies, and honest friendships

  • Be consistent — relationship is more powerful than a one-time conversation

  • Illustration: In a forest, lone trees topple in storms, but those in a grove support one another through their root systems

• Hold the Line of Orthodoxy

  • Compassion does not mean compromise

  • There are non-negotiables in the Christian faith

  • Jesus is Lord

  • The Bible is true

  • Salvation is by grace through faith

  • The resurrection is real

  • 2 Timothy 4:3–4 warns about itching ears seeking false teachers

  • We cannot water down the gospel just to keep people from leaving

  • Charles Spurgeon, “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”

• Our calling is to be gracious, truthful, and courageous shepherds in a culture of deconstruction. We do not fear questions, but we cling to the hope and truth of the gospel as our anchor.
  

Understanding Biblical Canon

The first of the Summer Lecture Series was last week, and we promised to share the content for those in attendance and those not able to make it. Below, you’ll find a rough outline of the content, as well as the audio from the teaching. Enjoy!

I. Introduction

• The canon refers to the collection of books recognized as authoritative Scripture.

• From Greek kanon, meaning "measuring stick."

• Biblical literacy and trusting the Scriptures is on the decline, yet is vital for a Christian

• J.I. Packer – "If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folks from digging into the Bible."

• The Bible we have today was not created by the church; it was recognized by the church.

• N.T. Wright — "The church did not create the canon; the canon created the church. The apostolic message was the foundation, not the product, of the church’s life and worship."

II. The Story of Scripture: From Inspiration to Canon

• Written over 1,500 years by 40+ authors, in 3 languages, on 3 continents.

• Single unified message: God’s redemption through Jesus Christ.

• The Doctrine of Inspiration: The Bible is inspired by God — He "breathed out" His Word through human authors (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

• Oral tradition played a key role before writing: a trusted, communal memory.

• Written texts emerged for precision and permanence.

• Bruce K. Waltke – "God revealed His Word in history and preserved it in writing for the edification of His people. The Scriptures are both a divine deposit and a human responsibility."

III. Old Testament Canon

• Structure: Law (Torah or Pentateuch), Prophets (Nevi’im), and Writings (Ketuvim).

  • The threefold structure is affirmed by Jesus Himself (Luke 24:44).

• Old Testament written over a span of roughly 1,000 years (from about 1400 to 400 BC)

  • 39 books (in Protestant Bibles)

  • Written by prophets, kings, scribes, and poets, all under divine inspiration.

  • Old Testament canon was gradually recognized based on long-standing usage, prophetic authority, and divine inspiration

• The Apocrypha: Jewish intertestamental texts.

  • Not recognized in Hebrew canon for a variety of reasons

  • Included in some Bibles, but clearly distinguished.

IV. New Testament Canon

• Criteria for Canonization

  • Apostolic origin

    • Was it written by an apostle or someone closely connected to an apostle?

  • Orthodox Teachings

    • Did it align with the “rule of faith” taught universally in the churches?

    • Theological continuity was a key criterion — consistency with the message of Jesus and the gospel entrusted to the apostles

  • Widespread Usage

    • Was it consistently read and used in worship across diverse Christian communities?

• The church recognized, not created, these books — it was a gradual, Spirit-guided recognition of which writings bore the unmistakable marks of divine inspiration and apostolic truth.

• By the 2nd–4th centuries, the 27 books were already widely acknowledged.

  • F.F. Bruce — "What the church did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities, but to maintain the apostolic tradition and ensure that it was not lost in the flood of competing claims and teachings."

V. Objections and Clarifications

• Objection 1: "Weren’t other books left out of the Bible—like the Gospel of Thomas or Gospel of Judas?"

  • Later Gnostic writings, not apostolic.

  • Not lost—known and excluded for clear reasons.

  • Darrell Bock – "The early church was not hiding alternative Christianities; it was preserving the authentic one."

• Objection 2: "Isn’t the Bible full of contradictions?"

  • Most stem from misunderstanding the genre, translation, or context.

  • Tim Keller – "If you pick and choose which parts of the Bible you believe and which you don’t, you have a God of your own making, not the real God of Scripture."

• Objection 3: "Wasn’t the canon decided by politics—like at the Council of Nicaea?"

  • Council of Nicaea (AD 325) dealt with Christological debates—not the canon

  • Dan Wallace — "The canon was not imposed from above but emerged from below—from the worship, teaching, and experience of the early Christian communities."

• Objection 4: "Why should we trust a book that’s been copied and translated so many times?"

  • Bible is the most well-attested ancient document in history

    • Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and thousands more in other languages

    • The process of transmission was painstaking and reverent

VI. Why This Matters

• Trust: Reliable and rooted in history.

• Witness: Equips believers to engage culture and respond to questions.

• Discipleship: Shapes our faith, formation, and mission.

• The Bible we have today was not created by the church; it was recognized by the church.

• Pastor Robbie — “Behind all of this history, theology, and manuscript evidence is a fundamental truth: God has spoken, and His Word can be trusted.”

• Kevin DeYoung — "The most urgent need in the Christian church today is the recovery of sound doctrine. And at the center of that recovery must be a renewed commitment to the absolute truthfulness, trustworthiness, and authority of Scripture."

VII. Conclusion: The Gift of the Canon

• The Bible is not just a historical book—it is the living Word of God.

• We don’t just have a Bible—we’ve been entrusted with a Bible.

• Trusting its formation strengthens our confidence and fuels our worship.

Meet the players: David and Goliath

One of the Bible’s most famous stories is the epic tale of David and Goliath. Many of us probably first heard it from a children’s storybook or in Sunday School. In fact, when you think of famous Old Testament stories, you likely think of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Moses and Egypt, and of course, David and Goliath. In the Bible, however, the account of what happened with David and Goliath takes us to a particularly tough time in Israel’s history. Prior to the famous showdown between the shepherd boy and a giant, as we’ve been reading about over the last few weeks, the leadership of the nation was in serious trouble. Saul had been appointed as the nation’s first king at the people’s demand. They believed that a king would bring stability and security in these dangerous times and make them “like all the other nations.” However, Saul had been disobedient to God’s commands and so he had been rejected by God, although he was still functioning as the people’s king. I said before that he was the king Israel wanted, but not the king they needed. So a new king had been chosen by God, a king chosen by God for God. Secretly, he had been anointed at Bethlehem by the prophet Samuel, and “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”

This leads us to 1 Samuel 17, which we’ll cover at length this Sunday as we close out our Summer Scripture Series. Keep in mind that we’ll offer a Legacy Group this coming semester that will continue the study of 1 Samuel and possibly even get into 2 Samuel. If that’s something that interests you, we’d love to invite you to sign up at legacycity.church/groups. What I want to do over the next few paragraphs, however, is to simply build the foundation of the chapter so that we can dive right into the heart of the passage Sunday morning.

The chapter kicks off with a sense of danger as it says: 1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. (v. 1a) We know that this threat has been hanging over the entire narrative of 1 Samuel so far and will continue to be present for the rest of the book. In fact, (spoiler alert) Saul dies in conflict with the Philistines later in 1 Samuel 31. So the chapter starting this way almost feels like nothing new, just another Tuesday in Israel, right? The Philistines are gathered and ready for war. Sidebar: It’s worth noting that one reason (perhaps it was the reason really) that the people asked for a king in the first place was that their king might “go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). The people felt the need for a king because of the threat from their enemies. Saul is king and should be fighting this battle, but since we all know that story already, it will of course be David (the anointed future king) that fights and not Saul (the current lame duck rejected king).

The location of the Philistine armies is then given with some precision: 1 …And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. (v. 1b) The Philistines were now further west than they had been in Chapter 14 and were clearly encroaching even further into Israel’s territory. Yet another nod to Saul’s failure as king.

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines” (v. 2). It’s interesting to me that although the Israelite forces gathered to meet the Philistines on the battleground, we’re not told of any active leadership given by Saul. Not to make this a Saul-bashing post, but the evidence of his shortcomings is everywhere in the text. The grammar of these first two verses conveys a curious difference between the two sides. The Philistines “gathered” (v. 1, active voice); while Saul and the men of Israel “were gathered” (v. 2, passive voice). There’s no sign of active leadership among the Israelites; it would appear that Saul is just among those who “were gathered.”

To finish setting up the location and scenery of the story to come, the narrator tells us “And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them” (v. 3). The Valley of Elah was a proper valley, with great views and vantage points on both sides. It would seem both armies have equal footing, with no advantages as far as geography is concerned.

That being said, here comes the advantage for the Philistines… (read in your best Bruce Buffer voice) “In the red corner, weighing in at 580lbs, standing 9 feet and 9 inches tall, fighting out of Gath, presenting the Ogre from the East, the Towering Menace, the Philistine Giant, the reigning, the defending Super Duper Heavyweight Champion of the Middle East: Goliath!” (*Cue the Philistine armies shouting and screaming and clapping for their champion…) This is what we see over the next few verses.

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 1 Samuel 17:4-7

This is a big man by all accounts. He would make NBA players look scrawny. How did he get so big? Some suggest that he’s connected to the account back in Numbers 13, when Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan and 10 of them came back and said that there were giants living there, so big in fact, that they felt like grasshoppers compared to them. It’s thought that these “giants” were possibly Nephilim, which is a whole other can of worms, but the short version is that some believe the Nephilim were the offspring of angels and humans, resulting in giants. It’s possible Goliath was a descendant of the Nephilim. Modern science also suggests that he had a pituitary disorder, causing some form of gigantism, making him unusually large. Either way, the bible says he’s one big fella. Then he speaks to the Israelites and issues a proposal.

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 1 Samuel 17:8-9

Essentially, “let’s not have a huge drawn-out battle that decimates both of our armies. Instead, 1 v 1 me. Send out your best, strongest, most courageous fighter to face all 9 and a half feet of me. Winner takes all.” And by takes all, he means a lifetime of servitude and subjugation. He says this and then there’s what we can only imagine is a pause that lasted moments but felt like an eternity. You could hear a pin drop in the valley. No one moved an inch so as to not accidentally volunteer themselves.

10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Defy is too weak of a word for the English translation of this Hebrew word here. It’s closer to “I scorn the ranks” or better yet, “I mock the ranks of Israel.” He mocks Israel and he mocks Israel’s God. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Give me a man. Choose your champion. Let’s go back a little, shall we? At the very beginning of the story of kingship, Samuel spoke to the people of “your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves ” (1 Samuel 8:18, 1 Samuel 12:13). The Israelites, in fact, had already “chosen a man for themselves.” His name was Saul!

It’s obvious that Goliath, like so many characters in this narrative, was not fully aware of the significance of his words, but as we hear them the irony sets in and we remember that Saul was the closest thing that Israel had to a Goliath. Remember what he looked like when the people chose him: “. . . when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward” (1 Samuel 9:2; 1 Samuel 10:23). And the prophet Samuel had said of him, “There is none like him among all the people” (1 Samuel 10:24).

As we have walked through 16+ chapters of this narrative, it makes sense to us (as the readers) that there’s really only one candidate in Israel who had anything close to resembling the necessary credentials to face the Philistine. And he was the one the people had (some time earlier) “chosen for themselves:” King Saul. But when he’s called out by Goliath, it says he and the people were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Verse 12 is a hard pivot. It takes us away from the battle in the Valley of Elah to another scene some 15 miles away in Bethlehem. Here, we’re going to meet the rest of the cast, the other main characters. But these are people we’ve already met in the last chapter, why do they get introduced again as if it’s the first time? There are several oddities like that in these two chapters, so much so that detractors of the Word of God try to use these as fodder for their “Bible is full of contradictions” debate. Goliath seems to be killed by two different people, the Bible introduces the family of Jesse twice in full, Saul knows Jesse and David in chapter 16, but then seems to not know them at all in chapter 17, David is described differently in both accounts. We won’t dig into these “discrepancies” here or on Sunday, but if you join the 1 Samuel Legacy Group, that will be on the agenda Day 1 🙂.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 1 Samuel 17:12-14

This is the same intro we got last chapter; David is still tending the farm but is splitting time between home and the front. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. Forty is always a significant number in scripture, so no surprise it shows up here in this pivotal moment in Hebrew history.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 1 Samuel 17:17-20

This takes up to where we’ll begin on Sunday. Jesse sends his son to run a simple errand which leads to one of the most memorable moments in the Old Testament and honestly history itself. The story of David and Goliath transcends scripture and Christianity and is known the world over as if it were a piece of pop culture trivia. It’s used as an inspirational tale to encourage people to stand up to bullies or the proverbial “giants” in their lives; it’s seen as an underdog story, one where the smaller, weaker, less talented, person or team is pitted against a much bigger, better rival…but you’re saying there’s a chance! Both of those are sweet sentiments, but not what God intended when these events unfolded and the story was subsequently added to Scripture. We’ll get into the exposition Sunday morning 10am at the movie theater. Hope to see you there!

SELAH.

*Cover Art: David and Goliath by John August Swanson, hand-printed serigraph, 2005

Enter Saul Stage Right

Once again, we want to use this platform to bridge the gap between two sermons as we walk through 1 Samuel. Last Sunday, Pastor Brandon Henson from Anchor Church took us through 1 Samuel 8; and next Sunday, Pastor Robbie will start in the middle of chapter 10. So let’s find out what happens in the meantime.

When we left off last week, Samuel had laid out the negatives and dangers of Israel having a king (other than God as their King of course). But even when presented with 8 verses worth of compelling warnings against an earthly king, Israel still demanded one because they wanted to be like all of the other nations (1 Samuel 8:20). They ignored Samuel and doubled down on an earthly king that will “ judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” - which incidentally is exactly what God has done and wanted to do for them. Instead of forcing his agenda, the Lord relents and allows Israel to choose a path that will lead to much destruction and devastation over the coming centuries.

This brings us to chapter 9 where we meet the second of three main characters from 1 Samuel: Saul.

1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 1 Samuel 9:1-2

We start the section with a man named Kish who, like Elkanah in 1 Samuel 1:1, was essentially a nobody. Not only that, but Kish belonged to the tribe and the land of Benjamin, which was the smallest of Israel’s tribes. The author is setting us up with the same info as Elkanah in chapter 1, and like chapter 1, we’re being shown that God does not need our fame, fortune, and influence to raise up a leader. The author transitions quickly to Kish’s son, Saul, who by all accounts was an impressive young man. We was tall and good looking, and the literal translation of verse 2 would imply that “There was not a man among the people of Israel better than he.” Since most of us are aware that Saul becomes the king that Israel was asking for in the last chapter, it seems like he’s a great choice so far.

Our first interaction with Saul (vv 3-10), involves him and a servant searching for his father’s lost donkeys. One verse in particular stands out as interesting considering all that we’ve already read and experienced.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant1 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, klest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 1 Samuel 9:5

There have been several father/son relationships we’ve seen thus far; Eli and his sons and Samuel and his sons. In both of those situations, the sons strayed far from their father, with scripture even calling Eli’s sons as “worthless.” In this passage though, Saul’s concern for his father (more than for the donkeys) is honestly a welcome contrast to the failure of Eli’s and Samuel’s sons to care about their fathers. Once Saul declares his intent to return home without the donkeys, his servant suggests going to meet a man of God in the nearby town. It takes a little convincing, but Saul agrees.

They enter the town (possibly Ramah) to find the seer. At this point, alarm bells should be ringing. Who have we heard called a “seer” before? Samuel. Where did the end of chapter 8 take place? Ramah. Worlds are colliding!

14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 1 Samuel 6:2

Confirmed, Samuel is the man of God, the “seer” that they are looking for. Donkeys lost, Saul sent on a search and recovery mission with a servant that has somehow heard of a holy seer in the lands they were searching in, and they arrive in the city conveniently at the same time Samuel is coming through. In case you thought any of this was coincidence, God dispels that notion in the next few verses.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 1 Samuel 9:15-16

God’s sovereignty on display. That’s what we’re seeing. We’re also seeing the boundless love of the Father. Even though Israel is asking for something they already have in God (a King), even though they are asking for a lesser, fallible leader so they can blend in with the world around them, even though they are asking for something that Samuel has already warned will ultimately harm them - God still hears their cry and provides deliverance from their enemies. Saul is going to be that leader and he’s going to deliver them from the hands of the Philistines.

The rest of the chapter describes the initial interaction between Samaul and Saul. Samuel recognizes Saul as God’s appointed man, and invites him to a feast as the guest of honor. Saul goes from searching for donkeys in the countryside to being the guest of honor at a priestly feast.

27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” 1 Samuel 9:27

Samuel was about to make known to Saul, for the first time, the word of God. We see the significance of the events here in 1 Samuel 9 only when we see that the word of God was at the heart of it all. Saul was oblivious to this, but God had said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king” (1 Samuel 8:22a). Then he had said, “Tomorrow . . . I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin” (1 Samuel 9:16). Everything that happened in this chapter was according to the word of God. We know that Saul will become Israel’s king by the word of God, and he will be required to listen to and obey the word of God as king (1 Samuel 12:14; 15:1).

1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. 1 Samuel 10:1-2

Samuel does as the Lord commanded back in 1 Samuel 8, and he anoints a king. And specifically, he does what God asked in 1 Samuel 9, and he anoints Saul the Benjaminite. This is certainly a shock to Saul, who understands his heritage; he’s a nobody from nowhere, not “royalty material.” So Samuel prophesies about a few signs that Saul will experience that will confirm God’s intentions. First, two men will meet him at Rachel’s tomb to tell him that the donkeys are safe. Second, three men will meet him at Bethel to offer him bread. Thirdly, a group of prophets will meet him at Gibeah.

9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 1 Samuel 10:9

God confirms to Saul his intention and fulfills all of the signs that Samuel spoke. The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul and he experienced the power and presence of the Lord. All of this will set us for next week, when Saul is finally proclaimed King.

The Ark Narrative

We’re going to attempt to briefly bridge the gap between 1 Samuel 4:22 and 7:3. Of course, we encourage you to read the passage for yourself because there’s no substitute for the Word of God. But we do hope this post might help with understanding.

Starting in 1 Samuel 5, this is the second episode in the “ark narrative” and we find the Philistines in a situation they cannot control. First, they’re celebrating their victories over “the Lord” back in 1 Samuel 4, when they defeated Israel twice (killing 34,000 men) and then captured the Ark of the Covenant, which they knew to be the manifestation of the Hebrew God. They wanted to put an exclamation mark on their victory by putting the ark in a trophy case, so to speak.

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 1 Samuel 5:2

They take the ark into the temple of their god, Dagon, in Ashdod. It appears their victory over the Lord isn’t as complete as they thought though, because on two successive nights, the idol of Dagon falls over in the presence of the ark (vv. 3–5). Furthermore, the inhabitants of Ashdod are afflicted with tumors (vv. 6–7). This leads to the ark’s being removed to Gath, only for the epidemic to spread there also (vv. 8–9). God is displaying his power in a very immediate and uncomfortably personal way to the Philistines. Once again the ark is moved, this time to Ekron, where the inhabitants have heard of the curse that seems to come with it, and they instead advocating returning it to “its own place”

9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 1 Samuel 5:9-11

The hand of God was heavy there. There’s an irony here that the hearers and readers of this story can pick up on. Israel knew that God had defeated them, not the Philistines, but the Philistines were convinced it was their military acumen that won the battles. God is showing us through these events that it was indeed his sovereignty that led to Israel’s defeat, and now that he’s judged Israel, he’s taking a moment to judge the pagans and their pagan worship practices. The Philistines’ disrespectful treatment of the ark transforms what they had viewed as a trophy of their victory into a scourge for which no one has room. In what should be a victory tour, it’s almost a parody because the roles of victor and vanquished are reversed. By humbling both the Philistines’ god and the Philistines themselves, the Lord leaves them (and the Israelites) in no doubt as to who is truly in control of all human affairs and how powerfully he can act against those who offend him.

In this contest between Yahweh and Dagon, the Lord makes it abundantly evident who is the victor. Honestly, it’s not even a real contest, as we see the Lord’s superiority effortlessly displayed. Israel’s God shows himself to be still a “man of war” (Ex. 15:3), able to defeat all opponents. He is the one whose hand is strong to save and whose intervention is irresistible (Ps. 89:13). The Lord receives glory for himself through the situation, just as he did in Egypt (Ex. 14:4, 17–18).

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 1 Samuel 6:2

Chapter 6 takes us into the third episode in the story of the ark, which serves to further assert the status and power of Yahweh. For seven months the Philistine lords resist acting on the evidence that the curse afflicting their land has been sent by the Lord. Eventually, and with great reluctance, they call for the advice of their religious experts as to how to return the ark to Israelite territory. They are advised that the ark should be accompanied by a guilt offering of five golden tumors and five golden mice to appease the God of Israel (6:2–6). Additionally, the Philistine clergy propose a test to ascertain whether all that has happened in the land has been a matter of coincidence or whether the superior power of the Lord really has been at work (6:7–9). They are hoping it was all coincidence so they can save face and not have to acknowledge the power and diety of the Hebrew God. Special arrangements are made for transporting the ark using cows that have never before drawn a cart and that are separated from their newly-born calves. When the cows hauling the ark ignore their natural instincts and head away from their young and pull the cart in the right direction without any overt guidance, it‘s demonstrated beyond doubt that the God of Israel is indeed active.

11 And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 1 Samuel 6:11-12

When the ark reached Israelite territory at Beth-shemesh, the people there were harvesting their crops, and stopped to celebrate the return of the ark.

14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 1 Samuel 4:14

Right away, they sacrificed the cows to the Lord to celebrate the ark’s safe return. However, it’s not all smooth sailing; 70 men of Beth-shemesh violate the sanctity of the ark and are struck dead by the Lord for their impiety. In response, the terror-stricken people of Beth-shemesh call on the people of Kiriath-jearim to come and take the ark there (6:19–7:1). Just like the Philistines, the Israelites have to learn to fear, respect, and obey the Lord and everything connected with his presence.

20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 1 Samuel 6:20

The people of Beth-shemesh illustrated a certain level of spiritual obtuseness. “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” reveals a genuine awareness of the majesty and sanctity of God. Yet they perceive that their inadequacy and guilt render them unfit to be in the presence of God (Ps. 130:3). However, rather than seeking to repent and change their own condition, they instead ask, “And to whom shall he go up away from us?” This response should remind us of one shared by many in the New Testament: “They began to beg Jesus to depart from their region” (Mark 5:17).

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of aAbinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 1 Samuel 7:1-2

The men of Kiriath-jearim respond positively, and the ark is brought “to the house of Abinadab on the hill.” The men bring the ark to Abinadab because he is possibly a priest, although the text isn’t clear on that. Obviously, though, the people of Kiriath-jearim adopt a more reverent attitude toward the ark, consecrating Eleazar (son of Abinadab) as its custodian. The ark stays there, about 8.1 miles (13 km) northwest of Jerusalem, probably until David takes it to his capital (2 Sam. 6:2–4).

The Golden Rule

We’re almost at the end of the Summer Together series, where we have been walking through the Sermon on the Mount together for the last 14 weeks. Last Sunday, we covered the first 11 verses of Matthew 7, but ran out of time before completing the message. So, today, we get to rest on one single verse. One of the most memorable and used verses in the entire discourse - Matthew 7:12, also commonly referred to as the Golden Rule.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

The message here is a simple; Jesus gives us a rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Now that sounds simple enough, but if it were really that simple, we’d be better at it. We’re not good at it, but we can be with the help of the Spirit of God. In fact, another way to think about the Golden Rule is to see that we want want to be treated in a spirit-filled way. Remember the fruit of the Spirit? 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

We ALL want to be treated with kindness, goodness, and gentleness, right? We all want others to have patience with us, to love us, and to be faithful and loving. This is how we want to be treated when it comes down to it. This is a good list of how we want our wives, husbands, kids, co-workers, neighbors to be with us, and of course if they oblige, then we’ll reciprocate…right?

Now, let’s dig into the verse for a moment. First, it’s worth noting that Jesus invokes the Law and Prophets at the end of the verse to make sure the hearers would recognize it from the Old Testament. The Law usually refers to the Torah, or the first 5 books of the Bible, and the Prophets refers to the rest of the Old Testament, which was understood to have been written by the prophets. This means that this verse is summing up what God wanted from His people in relation to their neighbors, and this is not new content, this has been taught from the Old Testament up to the mouth of Christ. God desired His people to live out love among their neighbors.

The first word of the verse is “So” or other versions might use “Therefore” - this is what’s called a Logical Connector. It connects this verse to the passage before it, drawing an application in context from the section of scripture just prior. In this case, the previous versus are describing God’s gracious and loving provision for others, so the application would be that if the disciples (you being one of the disciples) are following the Golden Rule of verse 12, then you are resembling your Heavenly Father.

And so what is the command? Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do that to them. This is the Golden Rule, you’ve all heard a version of this before. This is one of those verses that even non-Believers, people who have never picked up a Bible before have heard of. Their mom or their grandma said it to them growing up, do unto others as you would have them do unto you - that’s the southern KJV translation of that verse.

But doesn’t this verse ring a bell to something we’ve heard before?

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18b

This is what Jesus refers to as the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22 and Mark 12. And it’s the same idea. Love others as you yourself want to be loved. You know, this verse would have originally been written in Greek, and the Greek here indicates that the command is comprehensive, emphatic, positive, and continuous. “In every last thing, you must continually do for others whatever you wish they would do to you.” And the YOU is emphatic - disciples (you and me) will do for others, even when no one else will. The scope of the command is unlimited, and it’s in the continuous present tense, meaning the obligation continues unending. Love others as you want to be loved. Serve others as you would want to be served. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Always.

This command in its negative form was already around in Jesus’ time and that form is known to many religions, for example: 

• “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow creatures. That is the whole law. All else is explanation” – Rabbi Hillel, probably quoting the book of Tobit in the Apocrypha which says: “Do not do to anyone what you yourself would hate.” (Tobit 4:15) 

• Eastern religions have a similar saying as well: “Do not to others what you would not wish done to yourself.” – Confucius 

But these and others are found in the negative form: “Do not do anything to anyone that you would not want him to do to you.” 

That’s good advice and all, but Jesus is asserting something different: the positive and intentional activity of love being poured out on a neighbor, not merely wrong being withheld.

There is an operating principle within the Golden Rule: Initiate, don’t wait! Jesus does not qualify this command with a stipulation that we wait for someone to do something nice for us before we step out and do something nice for them. Let them show love first, and then I’ll show it in return. He also doesn’t give a quid-pro-quo with this command. I’ll show the love, but they better respond in kind. If they don’t, that’s it. Cut off. Never again. I’ll take my love and kindness elsewhere. No, this command is continuous and unlimited. In fact, let me give you two things that love does to accomplish this command:

• Love steps up to act first – often unprompted and unearned - this is a good segue into grace, which is love played out as an unwarranted and unmerited gift that we didn’t and couldn’t earn. It’s by grace that Jesus saves us, a gift, not of ourselves, but only by his love as demonstrated by the death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus didn't wait for humanity to get their lives in order, he didn’t wait for us to become more pious and more devoted, he stepped into this world, put on a skin suit, got into the dirt with us, and for us…he loved first, he made the first move, pouring out unearned grace on us. 

• Love initiates often in spite of the conditions. It’s not always the most convenient time to love someone the way that you would want to be loved. The conditions are not always right. You know, we use a phrase in the church world (well maybe more in the charismatic church world) we talk about divine appointments. And that’s not a bad phrase, I’m not telling you to stop using it or stop praying for them, but I think we have a misconception of what these are. When we think of loving our neighbor or a stranger, and God sets up a divine appointment, we envision: finishing a nice meal at the restaurant of your choosing, pulling out your wallet to pay the bill and low and behold, a blessing from the Lord, a crisp $20 that you didn’t know you had, and then as if Moses himself were at that restaurant, the people part to the left and right and a light from Heaven shines down on a man in tattered clothes that is clearly hungry and was looking for a meal that would cost approximately $20…But that’s not how it works. Basically never. Often, it’s your last $20 and someone is in need, you’re in a time constraint and someone needs love and grace, love steps up in spite of the conditions and circumstances, because my goodness if the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn’t you want that same love? 

Well, the shoe was on the other foot. Jesus left Heaven, left the Father’s side to come and pour his love out on you. That wasn’t convenient, that wasn’t easy. To leave perfection, to leave a pure and holy place and come kick it with us in this sin-filled world?! There was nothing convenient about it, but he so loved, and he loved first, he initiated the love now and forever. And he sets the example and the bar with which we operate from.

Keep in mind that the Golden Rule is not the total sum of Christian truth, nor is it Gods plan of redemption. We can’t boil all of Christianity down to this simple phrase, although it does pack a lot of power. In fact, Warren Wiersbe once said:

“We should no more build our theology on the golden rule, than we should build our astronomy on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” - Warren W. Wiersbe

This great truth is simply a principle that ought to govern our attitudes towards others. We should approach others in love. And by the way, love initiates; love steps out in faith.