Monthly Archives: June 2009

The Great Sin

Posted by Matt Honstain on

“There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves… According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride.  Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

Ok, so it’s bad to be prideful.  I think we understand that, but why is it such a momentous sin for Lewis?  The answer is that the problem with pride is twofold.  Firstly, pride is a usurpation of God’s rightful authority in our lives; secondly, pride is at the core of every other sin.

The first manner in which pride is sinful is also the more grievous of the two.  When we are prideful, we place ourselves as the ultimate authority in our lives.  Submission to any authority, including (and sometimes especially) the commands of Scripture, takes a back seat to our own desires.  Ultimately, pride pits our desires and our will against God’s and has us coming out on top.  This is a terrible reversal of the created order and a scathing insult to the infinite and perfect being who brought about our existence to begin with.

In addition to being the most heinous sin, undermining the authority of God in our lives, pride is also at the core of every other sin we may commit.  Every time that we knowingly transgress God’s command, we simultaneously act under the supposition that we know better than God what we ought to do.  We exalt our own understanding to a place in which it simply does not belong.  We place our conscience, seared, dulled and weakened by our repeated moral failures, upon a pedestal and submit only to it.

Pride, therefore, is not only the most atrocious but also the most dangerous sin we can commit.  Pride simultaneously weakens and exalts our conscience.  As a result, we are submitting ourselves to an authority which is continually degrading in both effectiveness and accuracy.  We are worshipping the compass without realizing that it’s no longer pointing north.

Matt Honstain

FUEL BBQ Fundraiser

Posted by Matt Honstain on

Our BBQ Creation Fundraiser auction was the afternoon of June 28th, following the 2nd service.  Don Dixon prepared some AMAZING chicken and ribs, as well as making some incredible sides (potato salad and baked beans), and Matt masterfully ran to Costco at the last minute to grab some forgotten soda.

We had a number of awesome items contributed, including a round of golf for two (with a cart), a package of six Mariners tickets, dog-walking (with associated scooping), unbelievable Duran desserts and Joey Faist’s chest hair.  Through all this we raised a whopping $1,289 to help send kids to Creation next month.

I must admit, as I write this my chest is still a little tender, although compared to Eddie Jezek, I have no reason to complain.  We both offered up our chests for waxing, and earned about $100 each to help kids get to Creation.  Check it out yourself.  Eddie Video.  Matt Video.  Joey wasn’t there, but his chest went for $110 to Bruce Duran, to be waxed Sunday night, July 12th, at youth.

Matt Honstain

Shocking The World

Posted by Taylor Hart on

On Wednesday, the 14th ranked USA national soccer team took on the number 1 team in the world, Spain. Spain had won 15 straight international matches and had gone 35 games without being beaten, a feat that has only been done by the Brazilian national team. USA came out strong, dominating the game early. USA created several scoring chances early, the most promising ones being Davies’ bicycle kick missing just wide, and Dempsey’s long shot rolling just to the left of the goal. It wasn’t long before the USA would get one in. It came in the 27th minute when Dempsey received the ball on the sideline and saw an opportunity. He burst toward the middle of the field, drawing two defenders away from Jozy Altidore. At the perfect moment, he chipped the ball between the two defenders toward Altidore. Altidore used his strength to push the defender off the ball. From there, he saw nothing but green. He kept his composure and tucked the ball into the back of the net, giving the US a shocking 1-0 lead over the best team in the world. This snapped Spain’s 451 minute scoreless streak and put their undefeated streak in jeopardy.

However, Spain knew there was plenty of time left and they did not give up. They shortly proved why they were the best team in the world. Torres and Villa connected several passes, tearing up the USA defense. David Villa was left with a great opportunity, only to be stopped by a last ditch effort from USA’s central defender, Oguchi Onyewu. This was a preview of what was to come for the rest of the game. The USA defense was constantly under pressure. However, this US team had no fear. They would do whatever they could to keep the ball from getting anywhere near the goal. They risked serious injuries for a chance to top the best team in the world, and it sure did pay off. They denied Spain several very promising chances at a goal. Around the 70th minute, Spain started to get some fresh legs out on the field. These included Cazorla and Mata, just two of the skilled players on Spain’s deep bench. However, it would be USA’s substitution that made all the difference. USA brought in Benny Feilhaber around the 70 minute mark. In the 74th minute, Feilhaber hustled after a 50-50 ball, won it, and continued down the field. He dribbled through several Spain defenders, keeping the play alive and playing it to Landon Donovan just to the right of the goal. Donovan had a clear shot at goal, but he passed it up and looked for Clint Dempsey on the far side. It took a deflection and went straight to Sergio Ramos, a star defender for Spain. He did not see Dempsey behind him, so he took a touch to clear the ball. Dempsey made the most of this mistake, sliding around Ramos and squeezing it into the small space between Ramos and Casillas, Spain’s goalkeeper and captain. This put USA up by 2 late in the game. It looked as though USA was going to pull off the upset, shocking the world.

 They played strong defense for the rest of the game, despite the relentless attack of Spain. After 1 minute of stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle. Immediately, the entire USA bench stormed the field, the crowd erupted, and several Spanish players fell to the ground in shock. No one could believe what the USA had just done. After all was said and done, Clint Dempsey walked off the field with the honor of being named MVP for the match, with his early assist and insurance goal. The stats were clearly one sided. All were in favor of Spain though. Spain ended with 29 shots to USA’s miniscule 9. Spain had 27 corner kicks while USA finished with just 3. Spain controlled the ball for 56% of the game. But at the end of the day, it’s all about the goals, and that’s the category the USA won.

Saddle Your Donkey

Posted by Matt Honstain on

“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’  Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey” (Genesis 22:2-3).

Okay, If you have more than six months worth of Sunday school you’ve heard this story.  It’s a great testament both to God’s faithfulness and to Abraham’s trust in him.  What bothers me though, is the simplicity of Abraham’s obedience; he doesn’t even stop to ask God why.

We’ve come to know Abraham as a man of incredible faith, used time and again through the New Testament as an exemplar of trust in God.  We must remember, however, that this is the same man who basically prostituted his own wife TWICE to save his own neck and turned her servant into a sex slave to manipulate God’s promise.  Sure, he’s demonstrated some trust in God up to this point, but he is certainly not a model of faith.

Not only has Abraham demonstrated a pattern of inconsistent flakiness, God is here making an unparalleled request.  Isaac represents God’s promise to Abraham.  He is the child of promise, on whom all of God’s promises to Abraham depend.  To sacrifice him would be tantamount to giving up on the whole endeavor.  This is not the behavior we would expect from someone with such an established record of selfishness.

The key, however, is that Abraham, flawed though he is, is exercising the faith placed in him by God.  This is what Paul means when he says that faith has God, not us, as its source (Ephesians 2:8).  It is this faith that allows Abraham simply to obey, despite the fact that we’ve seen the type of conduct Abraham engages in based upon his own resources.  Regardless of his past decisions, regardless of the magnitude of God’s request, Abraham simply obeys, exercising a faith that is clearly miles beyond himself.

Matt Honstain

To Fulfill, Not Abolish

Posted by Matt Honstain on

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished…For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-18, 20)

Jesus had come to fulfill, not abolish, the Law and the Prophets.  What a seemingly sharp contrast with Paul’s claim, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two [Jews and Gentiles] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians 2:14-15).  The key, of course, lies in the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the law.  This fulfillment, while rooted in the law and the prophets themselves, and never intending to undermine or otherwise eradicate them, releases their claim as a barrier to salvation on those who place their faith in Christ.

This does not, of course, excuse the Marcionite tendency in much of evangelical Christianity today to simply toss out the Old Testament as superceded and replaced by the New.  Far too often I have heard the comment, “yes, but that was in the Old Testament.”  Make no mistake, there are certainly boundaries and restrictions contained in the Old Testament that are no longer applicable as a direct result of Jesus Christ’s life and work, such as circumcision, certain dietary laws and the inclusion of Gentiles to the covenant.  Nevertheless, it is only against the backdrop of Yahweh’s legal covenant with the Israelites that the Messiah’s work has any validity.

The fact remains that unless we somehow exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, who made it their lives’ work to follow the law, “[we] will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”   The solution to this is the righteousness of God, imputed to us through Christ’s atoning work on the cross, doing that which “the law was powerless to do” (Romans 8:3).  None of us are likely to attain to the legal standard of the Pharisees, let alone perfection.  It is only through the perfect life and atoning work of Jesus Christ that we are granted this righteousness, the very righteousness of God, as an undeserved, unwarranted, unmerited gift.

Jesus would never have abolished the law, as it was the very satisfaction of God’s holiness and justice, through the law itself, that made his work effective for us.  To abolish it would have undermined the entire endeavor, and the blood of Christ is far too precious to waste.

Matt Honstain

604 Dollars?!

Posted by Joshua Hart on

I was sitting at home, chilling out and watching tv, when I almost had a heart attack.

My mom had just come home and I had heard her going through the mail. Soon she called out, “604 dollars of internet usage!”

“What?!!!” I yelled. “I thought Taylor had set up the unlimited family internet.” I was freaking out. I didn’t have 604 dollars to spend. What was I going to do?

My mom called out, “Don’t worry, I am calling AT&T.”

I listened to her talk to AT&T. It didn’t sound like it was going very well, but soon enough the phone clicks off. I was worried, biting my lips, hoping that I didn’t have to cough up 604 dollars.

My mom called out once again,”Ok they are giving us a 604 dollar credit. You owe your normal 15 dollars.”

Whoo. I let out a sigh of relief. I almost had a heart attack, but its all over now. It was just a slip up on the AT&T’s part. Ok I was fine. Everything was all right.

 

Joshua Hart

Cheap or Costly?

Posted by Matt Honstain on

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.  Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has… Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.  It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship).

Make no mistake, grace is free, but it is not cheap, and it must never be treated as such.  Nothing we can do, no amount of dedication, service or devotion, can mitigate even the slightest fraction of our debt to God.  Nothing we can do can begin to repay him the ultimate, infinite gift he’s given us through Jesus Christ.  What does it mean, then, that grace is not cheap, if it costs us nothing?  Bonhoeffer goes on, “Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son…and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.”

Does this mean that we have to labor our entire lives in the hopeless attempt to earn or somehow merit God’s grace?  Never!  What it does mean is that, in order to be a recipient of God’s grace, we must exercise true faith.  This type of faith goes far beyond intellectual agreement.  It is a placing of our lives and our wills in the hands of an almighty God and trusting ourselves completely to his love and his grace.  It is recognizing his sacrifice for us and striving (however imperfectly) to live our lives in gratitude to him.  This is not earning salvation; far from it!  It is simply responding.  It is “working out [our] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).  Salvation, by grace, through faith comes from God alone.  We bring nothing to the table; he provides it all.

This provision, however, does not come cheap.  When we acknowledge God’s sacrifice, and then live however we like, disregarding the cost of grace, we are treating it as cheap.  What a slanderous, what a malicious and insolent slap in the face to the one who both created and redeemed us.

Matt Honstain

…but set an example

Posted by Matt Honstain on

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (I Timothy 4:12).

This has to be the single most overused, endlessly recited, frequently preached-on, proclaimed, exclaimed, beat-you-over-the-head-with-it, repeated Scripture in the whole Bible for youth ministers.  That being said, here I go…

In our age of the self-esteem first, everything else second, theory of adolescent development, I’ve heard this Scripture countless times.  The message that I’ve heard, every time (whether it was preached that way or not) was always a load of self-esteem building skubalon.  Basically, “Look, old people are cranky, and they don’t like young people, and they won’t respect you.  It’s not your fault.  Don’t let it get to you.”  Well, I guess that might be a nice sentiment, and it is important not to base your self-worth in what other people think (especially if they’re a little crotchety).  That is not, however, what Paul wrote.

Paul is not trying to protect Timothy’s self-esteem.  He is not trying to get him to stand up for himself.  He’s not even saying “Find your worth in what God thinks of you, not what people think,” although that’s good advice too.  What Paul is saying to Timothy is “Give no one any excuse to accuse you of being a typical, irresponsible, disrespectable kid.  Live your life in such a way that it’s impossible for people to look down on you.”  That’s why he follows up with “Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity,” and doesn’t follow with “Because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you.”

Paul’s comments to Timothy are applicable to adolescent development in our postmodern, western, self-esteem driven society, but they’re not for comfort; they’re to challenge.  So with Paul, I exhort you, set an example to the believers that you know, living your life in such a way that any negative criticism of your faith, character or lifestyle is simply ridiculous.

Matt Honstain