Are you expecting?

Do you remember writing a Christmas list? Mine would be filled with toys, treats, video games and that one special big wish. My big wish would include things like a BMX bike, a video game console, or a brand new Commodore 64 computer with a 5” disk drive with a set of “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego” floppies.
On Christmas morning, when I sat down with my family beside the tree we would open our gifts by taking turns. AS the youngest I would go first hoping that I would get that the first brightly wrapped package that I opened would contain the fulfillment of that one big wish. While unwrapping the box I would wonder, “Is this the one?” However, when I opened the box I would inevitably find something like several jumbo packs of tube socks and one pair of nice black dress socks. I would smile, weakly, and say something polite with a look of thinly veiled disappointment in my eyes. When it was my turn again, I would feel renewed with that same hope and anticipation as the first time, “Is this the one?” Then, I would carefully unwrap and uncover a big beautiful sweater. Another weak smile would creep across my face, except with greater effort this time, and I would force out another polite expression. My brothers would take their turns and then my parents and finally back to me for another round of gift unwrapping. Again and again we would go as I alternated between anticipation and disappointment until that one box was unwrapped to reveal that gift that I had been waiting for. My one big wish come true on display in front of me in all of its glory!
Expectations can take us on a roller coaster like that. We like to get what we want. We want to foresee what should be based on our desires and anticipate the future. When we don’t get what we expect, often feelings of disappointment and even discouragement follow. Something must be wrong. How can reality fail to conform to our rigid preset goals, ideas, and timetables? While searching for the expected we can easily gloss over all of the other gifts that God has given us along the way. We can fail to recognize the care and kindness in His provision for our lives.
Try laying aside your expectations for the next few months. Instead put on an attitude of expectancy. Trust God to do something good without defining what it has to be. Enjoy the wonder of anticipating the unknown, and accept every gift with genuine gratitude. Let it direct your attention to the giver, our good, gracious, and loving Father.

The Gates of Hell understood using Bible Dictionaries

Gates of Hell understood using dictionaries

This post continues my study into the meaning of the phrase “gates of hell” in Matthew 16:18. Previously, I used commentaries to understand the meaning. Here I use bible dictionaries. I chose these specific resources because I was able to find them online using www.crosswalk.com and www.biblegateway.com, or I had them on my bookshelf already.

Smith's Bible Dictionary-did not include a reference to the Gates of Hell

Eerdman's
“The gate is a frequent metaphor for power, as in the …. 'gates of hell.'”

Nave's Topical Bible
Gates refers figuratively in Matthew 16:18 to the powers of hell

Hayford's Bible Handbook
“Jesus in saying that His church would prevail over the “gates of hades” indicates that ….Jesus' purpose in building His church is to break the evil hold on these arenas of life which hell perpetrates to human confusion and destruction.”

Easton's Bible Dictionary
“"The gates of hell" (RSV, "gates of Hades") Matthew 16:18 , are generally interpreted as meaning the power of Satan, but probably they may mean the power of death, denoting that the Church of Christ shall never die. “

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
“When Jesus promises that the "gates of Hades" will never overcome the church ( Matt 16:18 ), this phrase parallels Old Testament expressions tied to evil's power and persecution ( Psalm 9:13 ; 107:17-20 ). Jesus' reference to the future in Matthew 16:18 concurs with Revelation's vision of Satan's final attack on God's people (19:19; 20:7-9). Jesus has promised that he will conquer Hades so that it will not defeat the church. Indeed, his resurrection establishes that this evil empire is already broken. Christ now holds the keys, the authority over death and Hades ( Rev 1:18 )!”

Torrey's New Topical Textbook Bible Concordance Online
the phrase “gates of hell” from Matthew 16:18 is illustrative of Satan's power


The other resources that I will explore in the future include:

1) Different English translations of the Bible
2) Strong's
3) An interlinear bible
4) Writings and/or sermons from history regarding this passage, especially from the Church Fathers if they can be found.

The Gates of Hell understood using commentaries

My pastor referenced matthew 16:18 in a sermon yesterday where he explained the reference to "the gates of hell" as signifying the Church overcoming death. I have heard this phrase explained in a different way in the past. I have been taught that the gates of hell refer to the spiritual forces of evil, namely Satan, demons, and every argument, image, or attraction that is contrary to the rule of Christ.

So, I decided to research the meaning using the resources available to me to learn for myself the best way to understand this passage. The sources I used for my initial research include commentaries by, John Gill's Exposition of the Bible(JG), Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible(MH), and Jameson, Faussett, and Brown's Critical and Explanatory Commentary(JFB). I used crosswalk.com to view the of these commentaries online.



Jameson, Faussett, and Brown

and the gates of hell--"of Hades," or, the unseen world; meaning, the gates of Death: in other words, "It shall never perish." Some explain it of "the assaults of the powers of darkness"; but though that expresses a glorious truth, probably the former is the sense here.


Matthew Henry

The gates of hell shall not prevail against it; neither against this truth, nor against the church which is built upon it. (1.) This implies that the church has enemies that fight against it, and endeavour its ruin overthrow, here represented by the gates of hell, that is, the city of hell; (which is directly opposite to this heavenly city, this city of the living God ), the devil’s interest among the children of men. The gates of hell are the powers and policies of the devil’s kingdom, the dragon’s head and horns, by which he makes war with the Lamb; all that comes out of hell-gates, as being hatched and contrived there. These fight against the church by opposing gospel truths, corrupting gospel ordinances, persecuting good ministers and good Christians; drawing or driving, persuading by craft or forcing by cruelty, to that which is inconsistent with the purity of religion; this is the design of the gates of hell, to root out the name of Christianity (Ps. 83:4), to devour the man-child (Rev. 12:9), to raze this city to the ground. (2.) This assures us that the enemies of the church shall not gain their point. While the world stands, Christ will have a church in it, in which his truths and ordinances shall be owned and kept up, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness;


John Gill's

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The Jews speak of the gates of hell: sometimes of the gate of hell, in the singular number; and sometimes of the gates of hell, in the plural number. They say, that

``(Mnhygl vy Myxtp hvlv) , "hell has three gates", one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem.''

They talk of

``an angel that is appointed (Mnhygd yert le) , "over the gates of hell", whose name is Samriel; who has three keys in his hands, and opens three doors.''

And elsewhere they say, that

``he that is appointed over hell his name is Dumah, and many myriads of destroying angels are with him, and he stands (Mnhygd axtp le) , "at the gate of hell"; and all those that keep the holy covenant in this world, he has no power to bring them in.''

Our Lord may allude to these notions of the Jews, and his sense be, that all the infernal principalities and powers, with all their united cunning and strength, will never be able to extirpate his Gospel, to destroy his interest, to demolish his church in general, or ruin anyone particular soul that is built upon him. Again, the gates of "Hades", or hell, sometimes seem to design no other than the gates of death, and the grave, and persons going into the state of death; see (Job 38:17) (Isaiah 38:10) where the Septuagint use the same phrase as here; and then the sense is, that neither death, nor the grave, shall finally, and totally prevail over the people of God, and members of Christ; but they shall be raised out of such a state, and live gloriously with him for ever. By it here is not meant Peter himself; though it is true of him, that Satan, and his posse of devils that beset him, did not prevail against him, so as to destroy his grace, hurt his estate, and hinder his salvation: nor could death, in all its frightful appearances, deter him from holding, and preaching, and maintaining the doctrine of Christ; and though death, and the grave, have now power over him, yet they shall not always detain him: but rather, it designs the doctrine Peter made a confession of; which, though it may be opposed by hell and earth, by Satan, and his emissaries, by the open force of persecutors, and the secret fraud of heretics, it may be brought into contempt by the scandalous lives of professors; and though the true professors of it may die off, yet truth itself always lives, and defies the power of death, and the grave: or else the church in general is meant, and every true believer. These words do not ascertain the continuance of anyone particular congregated church, but secures the church universal, which will continue as long as the sun and moon endure, and the perseverance of everyone of God's elect; and assure that death, and the grave, shall not always have the dominion over the saints, but that they shall be rescued from them. Once more, this "it" may refer to Christ the rock, who, though he was brought to the dust of death, by the means of Satan, and the powers of darkness, yet to the ruin of him that had the power of death; and though death, and the grave, had power over him for a while, yet could not hold him; he rose victorious over them, and ever lives, having the keys of hell and death, to open the gates thereof, and let his people out when he thinks fit.

I have used these commentaries in the past to great benefit. On this small portion of Scripture JFB and MH disagree while JG presents both understandings and some basis for each. At this point in my search for understanding, it seems that honest disagreement is possible since both interpretations reflect truths that are supported elsewhere in Scripture.

I'll need to look into this further. The sources that I intend to research next include

1) Bible dictionaries
2) Different English translations of the Bible
3) Strong's
4) An interlinear bible
5) Writings and/or sermons from history regarding this passage, especially from the Church Fathers if they can be found.

Lessons I'd like to teach

I was communicating to a friend of mine two fundamental lessons that I learned while leading a ministering to women for the first time. (These are featured in an earlier post)

(1) Being cared for is more important than being challenged

(2) Being loved is more important than being admired

After explaining these to her, I thought, "Is this any different from what everyone wants? Do men want something different? Do i want anything different?" So, I've been mulling it over. What lessons would I want someone to keep in mind as they try connect to me?

Here is what I came up with:

(1) Recognize and respect what I have to offer, and invite me to contribute.

(2) Believe in me by extending the gift of trust when I lead or when I follow, and I want the benefit of the
doubt that I can handle a challenge.

Is this a typical?

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt IV

This message was a long one, but this is the final installment of this series of posts. It is more of a patchwork than the previous posts, but I think the content is still good. I basically left myself room to wing it so my notes are sketchy.

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There are at least 3 interrelated enemies to hope that you will have to face time and again. They are the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, and accusations against God, yourself, and others.

fear of rejection- What if no one supports me? What if I'm misunderstood?

There are two things about the fear of rejection. On the one hand, it is true that you will be rejected in life. I know because Jesus was rejected. Not everyone received his message with joy. Some were offended because of Him. There was a group of religious leaders called the Pharisees who tried to embarrass Him. They tried to silence Him. So, if God in flesh was rejected, what hope have we but the same. John 15:20 tells us the world hated him before it hated you. You will be rejected.


On the other hand, rejection isn't that bad. It is a normal part of life. If you've ever tried to sell candy for a school fundraiser, you know that not everyone wants to support you. Rejection becomes a problem because of insecurity. If who you are is defined by what you think other people think about you, then you will go out of your way to have people like you. Not everyone will like you or will endorse the dreams or desires God has put in your heart. Fear of rejection may also come from a wrong sense of obligation. The only person whose apporval you need is God's.

When God told Peter, a Jew, to go to the house of Cornelius, a gentile, a lot of people had a problem with that. peter had a problem with that. He did it in obedience to God despite the likely prospect of the disapproval of others. This raises an interesting point, you don't even need your own approval. Some things may not agree with your temperament or personality but are required for the success of the desire that God has given you.

fear of failure- What if I mess up? What if I lose? What if it doesn't work? I failed last time I tried; what makes this any different?

Can be a result of pride which honors appearance over obedience
The kindness of God gives us freedom to fail. He is not an impatient abusive taskmaster who will grind you into powder when you mess up. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When you were God's enemy not even trying to do right, God was for you. How much more now?

accusation- is God really going to honor this promise? Did He really say that?
Are the promises of God true? Did you really hear God? Does anyone really understand? Do they even care?

That's when you have to believe the best. You'll suffer more from blocking something good than from letting in something bad.I'm not talking about when you know it's wrong and do it anyway. but, when you aren't sure. feel free to try. Trust God to guide you. If you take a wrong turn listen to the Holy spirit telling you to stop and turn around.


Since I love God, I will hope in him. Though it takes time, though accusations have come, I will trust God to satisfiy the desires of my heart. I will HOPE FEARLESSLY.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt III

Below is a continuation from the previous posts of a message I preached this summer at a local church. I hope you are able to get some benefit from it. Since I endeavor to be a better communicator, critiques are welcome.

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I say hope fearlessly because hope is not always easy. Hope is beset by fears all around. So often, our hopes remain nothing but dreams and later bittersweet remembrances of dreams. These dreams may concern a relationship, a calling, your church, the Church, the world, some great and godly thing that you yearn for, or some humble and simple desire to be satisfied. A certain perseverance in hope is required for a dream to become more than a dream.

Without perseverance, the life cycle of many dreams goes something like this:

At the beginning, we may dream easily. We may boldly develop a desire for that dream. We spend time imagining it. We may talk about it. We may even go so far as to write it down. We can see it, touch it, feel it as if it were already come.

However, after thoughts of what we call practicality and sensibility, after considerations of what we like to call reason and realism, and after taking assessments of our resources and the expenses involved as well as measuring our own insufficiencies, we stop imagining. We no longer talk about those hopes of ours. To read the written expression of our dreams is embarrassing and painful.

Later in life, we may regard with a sweet fondness the memory of the dream once held admiring that now lost ability to believe that such dreams will come true.

Later in life, we may remember with bitter regret the memory of the dream for now we wonder what we could have had if only.

Why this frustration except that our fears and doubts stunt our hopes in the early stages of development. Many hopes are aborted soon after conception because our fears are so great.

The truth is that the thing that so often separates hopes fulfilled and hopes unrealized is believing. While one may not always get what one expects, one will always get what one settles for. You may not get what you want but you will get what you are willing to put up with. When you stop believing, you stop trying. When you stop believing, the dream starts dying.


So I say, HOPE FEARLESSLY.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt II

I continue posting the text of a message I delivered this summer.

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Now, my exhortation to hope fearlessly is not meant to be suggestive, but rather, imperative. This is not merely a preferential state of mind, though it is that. This is not merely a healthy attitude to possess, though it is that. And, it is not merely a positive outlook on life though it certainly is that as well.

No, hope is what love does for love "hopes all things", and to love is commanded. Jesus declares this the greatest and most fundamental of all of the commands:

Mt 22: 35-27
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. "
38 "This is the first and great commandment. "
39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. "
40 "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

According to Jesus, the first and second greatest commandments deal with love for God and love for people. Taken together these commandments are called the Law of Love. Therefore, the supreme law of the kingdom of God is love. It is the greatest law and a law in which every other law is contained. If you could keep in mind only one law that God has established, it would not be one of the laws about the appropriate manner of presenting one of the ritualistice sacrifices in the old testament law. It would not be one of the various laws against types of sexual immorality. It would not be one of the Ten Commandments. No, it would be the law of Love that you should always remember.

Remember in 1 Corinthians Paul told us what love looks like. In your life then, it is commanded that your relationships with God and with other people should be characterized by love as described in the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:7.

Regarding God:
"If you love the Lord your God you will be loyal to Him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in Him, always expect the best of Him, and always stand your ground in defending Him."

and regarding other people,

"If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."

An attitude that always believes in and expects the best of God and other people is an attitude of fearless hope.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt I

I will post a series of excerpts from a message I preached a few months ago. It seemed encouraging to some so I thought it might be useful to others.

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1Cor 13:4-9

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall
fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.

In the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, we read of the character of love. This is important because love is often mischaracterized. For example, Lust is often confused with Love, but

Lust consumes while Love contributes,
Lust grabs while Love gives,
Lust ensnares while love empowers.

Feelings are often confused with love, but

Feelings fade while Love never fails,
Feelings are easily offended while Love overlooks an offense,
Feelings may be self-centered while Love is not self-seeking.

So Paul characterizes love that we not be confused. The particular characteristics of love that I want to draw your attention to today are in verse seven:

"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

The Living Bible paraphrases this verse in these words, "If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."

So because it is commanded of us to love and we know that love believes all things and love hopes all things, I want to encourage you this morning to:

HOPE FEARLESSLY

Give it away

I started to become unreasonable about 8yrs ago. At least I became significantly more unreasonable. Through a series of circumstances and with the influence of people I respected, I got the idea that I should give my life away. I began to talk with Father about what I could do to give it away. I wanted to do it to honor Him . So, I thought to ask what would He be most satisfied with. Some people think it's ridiculous to let your Father have so much control in your life, but what can I say? I'm a Daddy's boy.

Sometimes Dad is a little mysterious about answering these sort of questions. He's pretty good at getting your attention when He wants it. He's started fires, made people crazy, sent messages special delivery by really scary looking guys. I was hoping He would work hard to get my attention focused on the right things. He didn't . I had to keep bugging Him, reflecting on things He'd already told me, and examining my performance and enjoyment with the volunteer activities I was already involved in. Our conversation on this matter resulted in my being convinced that I could best give my life away by becoming a professional recruiter/marketer/promoter for a very famous man.

The position may seem prestigious, and it is, but it is also an unpaid position. After spending 5.5 years in college and becoming the only one in my family to graduate, my decision only brought confusion to my parents. They thought my intentions were honorable, noble, and charitable, but my choice they thought misguided. They've been lovingly supportive while making their opinions clear.

They don't understand what I do. It is pretty countercultural to work for free. It seems to them be poor judgement at best and irresponsible at worst. I think I'm being very responsible. I'm responding to my Father's voice and my Father's heart as best I can understand it. I'm still learning how to give my life away. I might be doing it the wrong way; there may be a better way. I'm not doing the wrong thing.

No regrets.


mark 10:28-31; mark 8:35; matthew 6:33

Derived Significance

His death gives me life
His life gives me hope
His love gives me meaning
His will gives me purpose

Hope Fearlessly

I always thought of myself as a realist. Then I realized I was mainly "real" about the negative aspect of a situation. I guess that makes me a pessimist. I can't justify pessimism though so I setup mental detours, by God's grace, to help me get off of the pessimism track. These are really helpful when I start remembering failures and disappointments I've had because I'll see a detour sign like "Love hopes all things, believes all things...keeps no record of wrongs...."

Then, I usually grit my teeth and grunt as I recalibrate my will to hope despite disappointment in myself, my family, my community, my church, and my God. I continue with a groan and a growl as I renew my resolve to believe in myself and my dreams. At least that's how I did it yesterday.

Love Courageously,
Hope Fearlessly