Jonathan Pickens

Jonathan Pickens steers us away from the dangers of prosperity and discontentment and ushers us forward into contentment and satisfaction that we can only find in Christ.

One thing that muddies the water of modern Christianity is entitlement. It’s the priority of self. It’s serving to be seen. It’s the disciples walking with Jesus towards the cross, arguing over who is the greatest and missing who was in front of them. If left unchecked, this spirit of entitlement will breed comparison, insecurity, divisiveness, and spiritual exhaustion leading to burnout.  Rather, the Scriptures make clear that we are to forgo a spirit of entitlement as we realize that God has entrusted his great promises to us. Living entrusted helps counter the lies of entitlement and helps us celebrate others, live secure, be unified, and find fulfillment and rest in Christ.  In this article, we will examine the key differences between living entitled and living entrusted. To do so, we’ll look to Numbers 16.  “Now Korah… took 2 two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?” When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to him, who is set apart, and the one he will let come near him. He will let the one he chooses come near him. Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow place fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!”  Numbers 16:1-7 The story goes on to make clear that Moses was the one called by God while Korah and his followers were swallowed up by the earth (Numbers 16:22-48). Five key takeaways rise to the surface in response to this text.  Entitlement is the fruit of a low view of God. Walking entrusted is the expression of a God-sized view of God.An inflated view of self starts with a deflated view of God. We see this in the difference between Korah & Moses. In the story, Korah’s low view of God expressed itself in his rising up. Yet, Moses, in view of the Almighty, fell facedown. They had different standards of holiness because they had different views of God. In a day where it’s celebrated to fight for what we think we deserve, Scripture tells a different story. In view of the beauty of Christ, God’s people are compelled to live in humility. We will serve wherever, whoever, and however long because in living before God, we’ve made our lives about God. We’ve found the One who life is about—and it’s not us. Walking as those entrusted must begin with a high view of God and freedom from self.Entitlement obsesses over position. Walking entrusted is expressed in contentment regardless of position.Korah wanted the position of Moses, so he wrongfully accused his motives. Take note of how Moses responds. He doesn’t clap back. He doesn’t defend himself. He submits to the authority of the Lord. He defers to God’s judgment, not his own. Moses was content to be wherever the Lord placed him, whether low or high. His goal was God, not a position. Our job titles are getting longer. Our profiles are growing. It’s easier than ever to be concerned about what position we have. Yet, God doesn’t seem to take the same interest that we do with our titles. Paul’s job title was tentmaker, but his assignment was to be an Apostle. Luke’s job title was doctor, but his assignment was to be a Gospel author and missionary. Mary’s job title was stay-at-home mom, but her assignment was to carry Christ into the world. We know these people, and many more, not because of their titles and positions but because they said yes to their assignments. Chances are the people who have made the biggest impact in your life aren’t those with the longest titles but those who said yes to the Lord in investing in your life. Don’t obsess over position; be content to walk in the assignment God’s given you. Entitlement focuses on growing a following. Walking entrusted focuses on following faithfully. “Korah’s followers” are referred to 3 different times in this chapter. It’s interesting that nowhere in the Bible is it said that Moses had followers. Moses was a follower. His obedience was emphasized. His goal was not to gain followers but to see those entrusted to Him follow the Lord. Moses viewed leadership as being before God on behalf of his people, but Korah viewed leadership as being above people. There is a thin line but a drastic difference between these two kinds of leadership. To walk entrusted, the goal must be helpfulness over impressiveness. Entitlement grumbles. Walking entrusted is expressed in intercession. Korah rose and complained, but Moses fell and prayed. The truth is, the Lord is more concerned about many of our problems than we are. We can talk to him about them. We know our boss’ boss. We have access to the Almighty. Pray to Him. The highest power does not lie in the meetings of leaders and the elite but in the authority of the King. Oswald Chambers says it well when he writes, “God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.” Entitlement is concerned with what we deserve. Walking entrusted is concerned with what’s best for our people.When God proved Moses to be the leader of the people, the Israelites still grumbled against him. Even when the Lord crushed Korah and his followers, the people treated Moses and Aaron poorly. What was their response? Moses loved those who spoke against him. He forgave them and fought for their good.  How can we love those who mistreat us? How can we be faithful when what we do goes unseen? How can we do good to those who don’t like us? By looking to our true High Priest. His name is Jesus. Jesus is the greater Moses. He is the One who was not entitled but walked entrusted for us. Jesus had a proper view of God and made a way for us to come to the Father.Jesus didn’t obsess over position. He gave up his position so we could have position with Him.Jesus never grumbled but lived to intercede for His people.Jesus didn’t get what He deserved but embraced what we deserved because He was concerned with what was best for us.  We don’t have to be like Korah; we know Jesus. We don’t have to fight for us, He fights for us. His love frees us from us and invites us to walk with Him. Here, in his love, we can walk as those entrusted and not become entitled.

Navigating the Scriptures for new believers and seasoned saints alike can be a daunting task. How do we unpack the historical and cultural context? How do we apply what was written to a specific group of people in the past to ourselves in our present day and circumstances? What does it mean to get an actual, in-depth look into the inspired Word of God? Over the course of the next three days, our aim is to deposit practical and insightful methods that will help you move from reading to studying scripture.

In Matthew 11:11, just days before the execution of John, Jesus paid him the compliment and title of the greatest person ever to live. This was his eulogy. What a remarkable statement! You may not know much about this man, yet Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, said this about him. Since he was important to Jesus, he is important to us.  As you will see, the identity and responsibility of John the Baptist reveal why Jesus, the Way, Truth, Life, and Intermediary between God the Father and humankind, would attribute this title to him. — A Royal Messenger or “Herald” is a representative of a monarch who often comes before a king to announce the king’s arrival. Sometimes, a Herald will bring a message to the people on behalf of the king and in preparation for the king. You do not have to watch many movies before you meet this character in a film. They are typically small enough to make the king look big, dressy to set a tone of grandeur and dignity, and confident, knowing they hold authority simply by association with the king.  In many ways, John the Baptist was a herald for Christ. He came before the greatest kings to prepare the people for His message. The Scriptures read, A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.  Isaiah 40:3 When Jesus arrived on the scene and spoke about John the Baptist, He made two powerful statements. First, he identified John the Baptist as the long-awaited voice crying out in the wilderness. In doing so, He also identified Himself to his disciples as the long-awaited Lord. Many prophets of God spoke of a coming Lord and Savior because that was the expectation since God’s promise to Adam and Eve: that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). But none of the prophets of the Old Testament lived to see the day or the child.  Just think about this: for hundreds and hundreds of years, the servants, priests, and prophets of God dreamed of a day when God would send someone to do away with the separation between God and humankind, once and for all. When a hero rose, each was seen as a potential serpent-crushing savior in the eyes of the onlookers. And yet, every hero failed and thereby disappointed all the hopeful people of God.  Moses murdered, ran, lacked faith, and died. Saul became the first king over the people of Israel, allowed pride to destroy him, and died with his egocentrism. King David stepped in as a “man after God’s own heart,” fell short in adultery and homicide, and went on to die (1 Samuel 13:14). The priests and prophets lived, doubted, and died, leaving the people of God to watch another generation come and go with no sign of a savior. No one born of a woman lived to see the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” that is, until John the Baptist (John 1:29). John the Baptist was the greatest because he was the first and final prophet to meet and recognize Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Until the time of Jesus, in regards to fulfilling their role in the story of God, the greatest person was John the Baptist. He faithfully announced the arrival of Jesus and called the people to repentance. Ultimately, John’s faithfulness got him killed, and, as a result, he went down in history as the first martyr of the faith. Something fascinating about John the Baptist tends to get overlooked. The fact comes just before this statement that he was “the greatest.” While John was in prison—most likely days before his death—he asked some of his disciples to return to Jesus and ask Him one final question, “Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:2).  How fascinating is this?! The same man who baptized Jesus and saw the Spirit of God descend on Him like a dove asked Jesus for confirmation (John 1:32). John doubted. Yet Jesus’ response to John was gracious, and it speaks volumes as to God’s reaction to skepticism: ”Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:4-5). Jesus told John’s disciples to bring the evidence back to John. He paired it with one final piece of wisdom to John the Baptist: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:6).  Jesus affirmed John with evidence and urged him with a promise. John heeded these words and may have held on to them in his final moment before he would be executed, enter heaven, and confirm this promise of Jesus. Jesus would likely have the same reaction to skepticism today. Do you ever doubt Him in a moment of fear? Do you question whether He is who He says He is?  Dig into the evidence, listen to the testimonies, and observe the life transformation. He is not afraid of your investigation. If and when you come to follow Him, know that He will urge you toward discomfort as you announce His second coming. But remember that you have a reason for confidence simply by associating with the King.

“…God’s kindness leads you to repentance…” –Romans 2:4 It’s a key concept for the Christian life. Repentance, in its simplest form, is turning. It’s turning away from sin and towards God. It’s turning from something less to something better. It’s saying no to say yes. Repentance is a reorienting of our lives and actions away from the ways of the world to live in line with Jesus. It’s seeing Christ’s kindness for us at the cross and letting His love turn us towards Himself. It’s wanting Him more than anything the world could give, so we say no to our sins to say yes to Him.  We didn’t stop sinning at salvation; therefore, we mustn’t cease to repent. Repentance isn’t a one-time event for the believer; rather, it’s a posture for the Christian life. In the words of John the Baptist, “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8). As a church, we wanted to equip you with what practical repentance can look like in your lives.  Repenting means confessing.  We begin by admitting that our way is wrong and God’s is right. Before you can receive grace, you need to know you need grace. Jesus is the ultimate surgeon, but He can only heal what we let Him touch. So, the first step in repenting is confessing. It’s showing Him our mess. We offer Him our weakness, where we’re broken, where we’ve gone wrong. That’s when He points us to His wounds, and our healing begins. John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We’re not meant to do it alone, either. We experience the goodness of His grace through the physical hands of the church. Do you have a group to get real with regularly? Do you have a small crew that knows everything about you? Do you have a circle that can check you and you consistently confess to? James says it’s here you find healing. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Repenting begins with confessing.  Repenting means turning.  Confession is where repentance starts but is far from where it ends. If we want God’s grace, we must turn from our sin. As we see His grace as more desirable than our sin, we’re compelled to turn from our sin to embrace His grace. Grace is freely offered and cannot be earned, but you must take hold of it. It’s free to gaze upon but costly to cling to. It is impossible to hold on to grace if we still sin. You must let go of one before you can fully grasp the other. Jonah said it best: “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8). We must ask ourselves what areas in our lives keep us from resting in His grace. Repenting means turning. Repenting means mourning sin.  While this isn’t a popular point, it characterizes true repentance. Thomas Watson, a 17th-century English Puritan preacher and author, said it well when he wrote,  “He that can believe without doubting suspect his faith, and he that can repent without sorrowing suspect his repentance.”¹   In the words of Paul, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). First, there’s a difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. It’s the difference between guilt and conviction, the enemy and the Holy Spirit, the voice of condemnation, and the pruning of God. Godly sorrow comes from hurting the One we love.  Seeing how God loves us brings us to sorrow at the sight of our sin against Him. The primary problem with our sin is not in what we do but in who we’ve sinned against. Sin is grave because we’ve wronged a great God. Once we grasp the weight of our sin, we come to a better realization of the weight of His love. Paul urges us to experience the sorrow of seeing we’ve offended the One who loves us and receive forgiveness. We’re not meant to stay in sorrow very long. Glance at your sin and gaze on the cross. We don’t beat ourselves up. Instead, God will quickly move us past the weight of our sin into the wonder of His grace. Because we love Him, repenting means mourning our sins.  This week, remember He has more grace than we have sinned. He has more love for you than you’re aware of. His gospel is better than anything the world has to offer. We want to be a people who want to be His people.  So, we confess where we’ve been wrong, knowing His wounds make us clean. We turn away from our sin and towards our Savior because He first moved towards us. We experience godly sorrow in seeing our sin and let it move us to rely more deeply on the one who was perfect in our place. This process is called repentance. Our prayer for our church is to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. In view of His mercy, let His kindness lead you to repentance.  “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13 ¹ Watson, Thomas. The Doctrine of Repentance. Banner of Truth, 1988.