And what will heaven be like? Is it something we can imagine or is heaven just a mystery to us? Well, the Bible is full of pictures of heaven from the garden of Eden right through to the new heavens and the new earth, and it’s better than we can imagine.

Saturday May 19th 2012 at Darling Harbour, Sydney. Solid, practical Bible teaching by women for women. EQUIP 12: Heaven is waiting.

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The younger son certainly does make a bold request. And yet the father willingly grants it! What a devastating loss it would have been for the father to give up his property and wealth for his son. It is helpful that Keller points out the Greek word for ‘property’. It literally means life! I don’t have any children, but look forward to the day I do. However, I can only imagine the knife that would go through my heart if a son of mine (let’s hope this never happens!) boldly walked up to me and asked for his share of my savings and the house… I wouldn’t know how to react. I know I certainly wouldn’t agree to his request!

At least this younger son realises his mistake once he’s squandered all the money. He even comes up with a plausible plan. He could work as his father’s servant to pay off his debt. And yet, after all that, does it not make us wonder even more at the depth of the father’s love: that he should freely and willingly take this lost son back. No questions asked, no bargaining together, no conditions for his acceptance back into the family. The father opens his arms to him. And he doesn’t just give him his room back and say “there you go”. He puts his best robe on him, throws him a huge party, and restores him to his previous family standing.

As you ponder this parable for the third, or maybe the three hundred and third time, I hope the depth of God’s love for you and the forgiveness He gives still amaze you. Don’t let that become old news. The parables surrounding this story in Luke chapter 15 (the lost coin and the lost sheep) give us an even bigger picture of God’s love and forgiveness. They shout to us of how precious the lost are to God, and how wonderful it is when they are brought back to Him. Our great God freely loves and freely forgives. As Keller says so well, “God’s love and forgiveness can pardon and restore any and every kind of sin or wrongdoing. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done… There is no evil that the Father’s love cannot pardon and cover, there is no sin that is a match for His grace.” p24

The response of the older brother, then, becomes so much more shocking in light of the father’s response to his younger son. And yet in the older son’s attitude and actions, we realise he is just as lost as the other son. The older son is only concerned for his own reward and for his own justice. The older brother demands what he sees as his rights from the father; benefits and a share in his father’s wealth almost as a payment for his strict obedience. While the father offers the older son love and an invitation to join the party, we are left without a final response from this brother.

I love the fresh look we get at sin in chapter three. (That might not have come out the way I meant it! I’m not enthusiastic about sin, just glad of a chance to understand sin and our own sinfulness better with Keller’s help.)

By understanding these two sons more fully, Keller shows us how to more fully understand sin. While Keller looks at the example of both sons, I’m just going to think about the example of the older brother, as I think that is slightly less well-chartered territory.

Keller shows that the older brother in this parable represents the Pharisees and their strict observance of the law. And this parable says something striking. As Keller says, ‘the lover of prostitutes is saved, but the man of moral rectitude is lost.’p34.

The elder brother’s sinfulness is in his obedience; because his obedience is moralistic and dutiful. It is obedience without heart. The barrier between the older brother and the father is this son’s pride in his moral record. He expects reward and wants it on his own terms.
As Keller says towards the end of the chapter, ‘Sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Saviour, Lord and Judge, just as each son sought to displace the authority of the father in his own life’ p43.

I think this has implications for both Christians and non-Christians.

Maybe this way of thinking is how your non-Christian friend thinks about God. If they’re just good enough, enough of the time, God will let them into His great feast, won’t He? Maybe if they work hard at keeping the laws of the land, respecting people, and praying every now and then to God, He’ll be happy with their ‘righteous’ life and accept them into His kingdom.

Well, we need to keep exposing the amazing and shocking gospel of grace to those around us who think this way. Only then will they see there is nothing they can do to be good enough for God and be accepted by him.

I wonder how often we as Christians slip into thinking like this older brother about our ‘righteous’ lives. We forget we’re already saved, but instead think that because we’ve perhaps suffered a little as Christians, or because we’ve remained faithful and served God for many years, we deserve to be accepted by God. We might even slip into thinking we’ll be ok on judgement day because we’re doing so well at following Jesus. Not actually because of what Jesus did! We look down at those ‘sinners’ around us, and congratulate ourselves for being so holy.

In essence, like the Pharisees, those of us thinking this way have totally lost perspective of ourselves, and of God. We have forgotten grace, and are instead trying to work for our own salvation. This is completely the opposite of what God wants! Though we try to make ourselves morally upright, we know that cannot happen. We cannot ever make ourselves morally good enough to be worthy of any reward. Our ‘righteousness’ will just never be ‘right’ enough.

Let us instead cling to God’s grace. Let us, unlike the older brother, remember that we are in need of this grace. Let us not think of what we can do, but instead, of what Christ has done.

The author of one of my favourite hymns says it better than I ever could.

Not the labours of my hands
can fulfill your law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
you must save, and you alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to your cross I cling;
naked, come to you for dress;
helpless, look to you for grace;
stained by sin to you I cry;
wash me, Saviour, or I die.
Augustus M. Toplady 1776

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As we come to read Tim Keller’s Prodigal God, this may become our experience.

Tim Keller bases this book on the much read and loved parable from Luke 15:11-32, The Parable of the Prodigal Son (as it’s often called). Right from the introduction, Keller sets out to show that this parable has been quite misunderstood in the past, and really needs to be understood in a whole new light. He tells us it is a story of God’s reckless grace, our greatest hope.

“Over the years, I have often returned to teach and counsel from the parable. I have seen more people encouraged, enlightened, and helped by this passage, when I explain the true meaning of it, than by any other text.” Page xiii

What a big claim! Well it’s time to look again at this parable, in all truth and humility, and see what new light Keller may shed on it for us.

Chapter One.
Chapter one straight away introduces us to Keller’s understanding of the brothers; two different ways to be alienated from God and then seek his acceptance. He provides for us the context of the parable and highlights that the two groups of people Jesus is talking to represents the two different sons. The ‘tax collectors and sinners’ who are attracted to Jesus are like the younger son, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law are like the older son. There really is such a great contrast between these two. But to whom was Jesus actually directing this parable?

Keller says the second group. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Keller argues that it is in fact in response to the attitude of this group of people that Jesus tells the parable. Jesus tells this story because of the Pharisees’ cold and stubborn hearts towards the ‘sinners,’ and their indignation at Jesus because of his acceptance of them.

“It is a mistake, then, to think that Jesus tells this story primarily to assure younger brothers of his unconditional love. No, the original listeners were not melted into tears by this story but rather they were thunderstruck, offended and infuriated.”

Already I’m finding my understanding of the parable being refreshed. I have (I assume like many others) thought of the younger son as the primary focus of the text. But it makes sense that Jesus is using this parable to show the ‘moral insiders’ just how blind and self-righteous they really are – to the detriment of their own lives and those around them.

However, I do wonder if the parable can’t be directed at both groups of people? With such an emphasis on the Pharisees and the lesson they should learn from the older brother, do we lose out on the lesson learnt from the amazing grace and love shown to the younger brother? Can’t this be just as much an offensive rebuke to the Pharisees, as an offering of grace to the ‘sinners’?

Either way, it is worth looking more closely at the place of the Pharisees and tax collectors in this parable, and how much their attitudes are reflected in our own church circles.

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Kathy Thurston: My husband Dave was a young minister, fresh from college and confronted with a middle aged divorced woman in our parish openly pursing a relationship with a non-Christian man.

To our surprise, I am ashamed to report, our friend was so convicted of her sin, she repented of her actions and recommitted her life to the Lord. She went on to marry a beautiful Christian man, go to bible college and serve overseas! What a privilege it is always to act as God’s servants but sometimes, we are witnesses to His particular grace-we were that day.

Part 3 of Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker, methodically and practically deals with the process of talking to others about their role in a conflict. This principle of peacemaking is called “Gently Restore” and is based on Matthew 18:15-20 where Jesus sets out what to do if our Christian brother or sister is caught in sin but before we look at the process outlined in this passage, we need to ask “When is it right for us to intervene?” As we have already seen, it is first important to count the cost of a conflict. Sande says we intervene when someone’s sin is likely to bring dishonour to God, when their offense is damaging our relationship with them, when their actions are causing significant harm to us or others or seriously harming the offender.

So the steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-20 to gently restore a brother or sister, can be summarized as follows:

1. Go and show your brother his fault, just between the two of you in private (v15)

2. If he will not listen, take one or two others along so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (v16) The key to this step is to keep the people involved to a minimum.

3. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.(v17a) Sande interprets this to mean to tell a church leader, not to make a public church announcement!

4. If he refuses to listen even to a church leader, treat him as an unbeliever. (v17b)

Although this seems severe, Sande explains that the purpose in Jesus’ instruction here is to help the offender understand the seriousness of their sin which hopefully causes them to repent and be restored. This may mean withdrawing church membership privileges but unless they are disrupting the church, they should be welcomed at church like any unbeliever would. Thankfully most of us are likely to be involved more often in steps 1 and 2, and Sande provides some wise advice for preparing for such a conversation. I have particularly found it helpful to write down what I want to say, to focus on what we agree on and define clearly what we disagree on. By preparing in this way, I am more likely to be an un-anxious presence in the conversation, less likely to say unhelpful things and will be able to listen better.

Our goal in restoring is reconciliation and the ideal outcome of any conflicted situation, is repentance followed by forgiveness and reconciliation. Sande’s fourth principle of peacemaking is “Go and be reconciled” but this unfortunately is not always what happens. Without repentance there can’t be reconciliation but we can make a commitment to God to forgive the person who has offended us. Sande’s discussion of forgiveness in this situation is frank but rings true from my experience. Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision; it is not forgetting, but a conscious choice not to remember and it is not excusing as if it doesn’t matter.

Forgiveness is an event and for Sande consists of four promises that we need to make to ourselves:

1. I will not dwell on this incident.

2. I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.

3. I will not talk to others about this.

4. I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.

What a difference it would make in our relationships if we could forgive like this and yet, is it not just how God has forgiven us? (Ps 103:10-12) And if we refuse to forgive in this way are we not like the unmerciful servant who takes God’s forgiveness for granted while withholding forgiveness from others. Sande reminds us of the story of Corrie ten Boom and how trivial are the petty hurts the God mostly calls us to forgive, in comparison. Ultimately, only God can change people’s hearts and bring about repentance and reconciliation and our responsibility is to honour him in the way we behave and speak. But what a huge difference we can make as we breathe grace into the situations of conflict we find ourselves and follow the godly and practical principles set out in this book.

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Congratulations to the winners:

• Nancy & John Tigwell;
• Mark Callaghan;
• Howard Petts; and
• Lisa Hall.

They will receive a copy of this lovely hardcover book.

Thank you to all who either contributed or promoted the Book Giveaway – your support is a real encouragement to us. Keep your eyes peeled for our next Book Giveaway.

Sande frames 4 easy questions to ask of yourself when considering your contribution to a conflict. Let’s look at them in turn:

1. Is this really worth fighting for? Trained as a lawyer, it is hard for me to imagine any situation that is not worth fighting for! But, in many places the bible recommends that the best way to resolve a conflict is simply to overlook the personal offenses of others. Paul says “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph 4:32) Give it a go – I’ve found it very liberating.

2. What is the real cost of this conflict? In Matthew 5:25, Jesus says to settle disputes as quickly as possible. The rest of the verse explains that a prolonged dispute can be more costly than we think and money is not the only expense. Counting the cost of time, energy, emotional and spiritual exhaustion as well as broken relationships can help us have a clearer perspective on whether a conflict is worth pursuing.

3. What about rights? The worldly insistence that all rights must be protected has complicated this issue. Unfortunately some people resist overlooking offenses and settling disputes because of their rights; but not all rights are biblical and maybe God wants you in a particular situation to give up your right for the benefit of another. Certainly, God wants us to show mercy as we have been shown mercy by Him.

4. Have I allowed a desire to turn into a sinful demand? Much conflict stems from unmet desires in our hearts. Even good desires can control us and lead to ungodly behaviour, if we insist on those desires being met. Tim Keller calls those desires, turned sinful demands, “idols;” and left unchecked, they can lead to bitterness, resentment and self pity that can destroy family, business and church. Getting the log out of our eye may involve recognizing desires that have turned into idols and repenting of sinful attitudes. As we replace idol worship with worship of the true God, we receive God’s forgiveness and the grace to face its power in our lives and the conflict it causes.

I think I found this principle of peacemaking the most personally challenging and firmly believe that many conflicts would be resolved if we took seriously this instruction to get the log out of our eye. We wouldn’t need Sande’s other two principles of peacemaking if we allowed the gospel of Jesus to strip away our pride and defensiveness and repented of our reckless tongue, our grumbling, our controlling, our gossiping, our sinful desires, our broken word and………you finish the list.

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Ken Sande’s premise in The Peacemaker, is that Christians, being reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, are called to respond to conflict in a way that is very different from the way the world deals with conflict. From that belief, comes the Peacemakers Pledge which commits to responding to conflict according to four principles (all helpfully beginning with “G”)
1. Glorify God
2. Get the log out of your eye
3. Gently restore
4. Go and be reconciled

This week we will consider the first of these principles so I ask you: Do you believe it is possible to glorify God through conflict?

I don’t know about you, but in a situation where I am mistreated or opposed, my instinctive reaction is to justify my behaviour and do what I can to get my own way but this certainly doesn’t glorify God. According to Sande, it is possible to glorify God in conflict by focusing on God’s goodness, rather than on ourselves. This is the key to resolving conflict constructively and glorifying God in the process. As we remember God’s mercy towards us in Jesus, we can approach conflict with a new attitude.

How do you respond to conflict?
Are you an avoider of conflict (Sande calls you a “peacefaker”). Maybe because you believe conflict in the church is wrong and should be avoided at all cost or maybe conflict just scares you. Or do you love the opportunity to “take on” an issue or person (Sande calls you a “peacebreaker”). Maybe you are a defender of others’ rights or just like a good argument.

I have to admit that when I first read this book I was horrified to identify myself as a “peacebreaker”. But through this revelation and a broken relationship with my son and sister, God began a work in me, which he continues to this day, to understand this sinful behaviour and to re-shape my response to conflict. God wants us to respond to conflict with peacemaking skills, and the rest of The Peacemaker focuses on what these are.

There are many causes of conflict in our personal lives and in our churches: misunderstandings, differences in priorities and expectations, competition over limited resources and sinful attitudes; so the sooner we adjust to the fact that conflict will occur in our lives and focus on how we are going to respond when it does happen, the better.

How can we glorify God in conflict?
We glorify God in conflict when we see conflict as an opportunity to serve others in love and to grow in Christlikeness. We cannot control the outcome of conflict because this depends often on the behaviour of others, but we can control our own response. We glorify God when, in response to God’s mercy and love to us in Jesus, we follow the example of Jesus and seek the good of others, relying on His guidance and strength (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1)

God delights in us being instruments of peace in the midst of conflict (Romans 12:18) and by our actions in such situations we show others, that there really is a God.

Finally, Sande finishes each chapter of the book with some helpful questions to apply to a current conflict. What a challenge to think about what good God might bring out of a current conflict if we respond to it in a way that glorifies Him?

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In this hard-cover biography, thirty-five of John’s friends open their hearts and share memories of a unique man, creating an art gallery of very personal portraits by friends and colleagues from around the globe. From ‘Wumby Dumby’, the special uncle and godfather, to the Rev. Dr John Stott, international Christian statesman, this tribute contains a rich bank of memories, representing a key period in British evangelicalism.

Many brush strokes, one portrait.

In memory of Dr John Stott, Reformers will be giving away four copies of this lovely book.

Contest Details:

There are six ways to enter the contest. Completing all six of the items listed below will give you six entries into the contest.

1. Fill out the form at the bottom of this post (Required – everyone must do this and leave contact information so we can follow up if you win).
2. Follow @Reformers on Twitter.
3. Retweeting this contest will earn you a further entry – copy this tweet: September Book Giveaway! @reformers is giving away 4 copies of “John Stott – A Portrait by His Friends” http://blog.reformers.org.au/?p=842 via @reformers
4. Like Reformers Bookshop on Facebook. (If you have already done so, that will be counted).
5. Write a post about the giveaway on your blog, helping to promote the contest (Please pingback so that we can verify the post).
6. Leave a comment on this blog post answering the following question:  describe the impact that John Stott or another great evangelical has had upon you. (This could be through having met the person, having read one or more of his books, or having heard him speak).

Conditions of entry:

1. You must reside within Australia or New Zealand.
2. Contestants may submit up to six entries as outlined under contest details.
3. Entries close on Saturday 17th September.
4. Winners will be announced Wednesday 21st September.

Margaret Baxter
This week, we look at the 17th Century Puritan Margaret Baxter who married the much-older Richard, loving and respecting him through much persecution. Her story would make for a riveting film – glamorous privileged girl falls in love with poor, principled, older man and sacrifices luxury for persecution! The young Margaret was obsessed by clothing, socializing and romance. When she was thrown out of childhood home (no less than a castle!) her new humble surroundings provoked the rebellious Margaret to dress as splendidly as she possible could!

From Riches to Rags
But God had other ideas for Margaret and she fell for her inspiring pastor. They married after a long courtship, during which no doubt, they were weighing up the 24 year difference and their different backgrounds. She loved and encouraged Richard despite the fact that it severely changed her station in life: wealth and status in youth became persecution and poverty in her married life.

Margaret was a great ‘helper’ to her husband. We mustn’t underestimate the impact of Richard Baxter’s ministry – his preaching, writing, evangelising and pastoring have left an enormous legacy today. As his wife, she “was always there for him: comforting him, caring for him in his frequent illnesses, shouldering all of the practical concerns of life” (p35), and enabling his prolific writing. She consistently denied herself materially for the sake of his ministry and submitted to him in political and ecclesiastical decisions that had devastating consequences on the couple.

A great example to us!
Throughout their married lives, they seemed to be constantly moving house (including a stint in a local prison!). I was very challenged by Margaret’s response to this. There was not a hint of complaining or controlling – she managed to love people in whatever circumstance she found herself, generously serving those less fortunate than herself. Even Richard had to ask her to exercise some restrain in her generosity!

Godly, yet anxious!
Spiritually, Margaret was an inspiration. She epitomised the Puritan way of life – careful study and meditation of the Scriptures and prayerful and reflective examination of her spiritual state. She was devoted to evangelism, compassionate to the poor, joyful and thankful in disposition. But, she was also a perfectionist and her high standards caused her much anxiety.

Health-Anxiety: A struggle of Margaret’s … a struggle of mine!
She also suffered from health-anxiety and spent much of her life assuming and fearing grave illness. This is an area I have struggled with myself. God hasn’t promised that we will avoid suffering and yet, I need to remind myself that He gives me the grace to endure the suffering that does come my way. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day enough trouble of its own”. (Matt 6:34)

A dear friend reminded me that … Read More on the EQUIP Book Club website

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