I hate my sin.
I hate that I fall back into sins that I felt at one point were behind me.
I hate that my mind doesn't imitate Philippians 4:8.
I hate that I value myself more highly than I value my Creator.
I hate that my selfishness impacts my ministry to others.
I hate that I have just cause to write all of this and much more.
And what I hate most of all is that I don't hate any of these things as much as I truly should.
But I do love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has covered my multitude of sins on the cross through His death and resurrection.
Some people say that we spend too much time focusing on being "sinners saved by grace". That we should talk more about our restored glory, being a co-heir with Christ and being a new creation with a new name. Those are all amazing and wonderful things to be thankful for and to meditate on.
But the ministry to my soul has always rested, and I believe always will rest, on the recognition, acceptance and truth of being a sinner saved by grace.
And that makes me want to love Jesus more.
Godliness is how you live when you believe that Jesus is better than sin.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
True Repentance
What must I do to be saved? Saved from what? What is it you wish to be saved from? Hell? That proves nothing. Nobody wants to go there. The issue between God and man is SIN. Do you wish to be saved from it? WHAT IS SIN? Sin is a species of rebellion against God. It is self-pleasing; it is the utter ignoring of God's claims,—being completely indifferent whether my conduct pleases or displeases Him. Before God saves a man, He convicts him of his sinnership. By this I do not mean that he says with everybody else, “Oh yes, we are all sinners, I know that.” Rather do I mean that the Holy Spirit makes me feel in my heart that I have been a life-long rebel against God, and that my sins are many. Have you ever had that experience? Have you seen yourself to be totally unfit for heaven, and for the presence of a Holy God? Do you now perceive that there is no good thing in you, nothing good credited to your account, that all the way through you have loved the things God hates and hated the things God loves? Has the realization of this broken your heart before God? Has it made you mourn that you have so despised His mercies, misused His blessings, broken His sabbaths, neglected His Word, and given Him no real place at all in your thoughts, affections and life? If you have not yet seen and felt this personally, then at present there is no hope for you, for God says, “EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH” (Luke 13:3).
And if you die in your present condition, you will be lost forever. But if you have been brought to the place where sin is your greatest plague, where offending God is your greatest grief, and where your deepest desire is now to please and honor Him; then there is hope for you. “The Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). And He will save you providing you are ready and willing to throw down the weapons of your warfare against Him, bow to His Lordship, and surrender yourself to His control. His blood can wash the foulest clean. His grace can support and uphold the weakest. His power can deliver the tried and tempted. “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day salvation” (2 Cor6:2). Yield yourself to Christ's claims. Give Him the throne of your heart. Turn over to Him the regulation ofyour life. Trust in His atoning death. Love Him with all your soul. Obey Him with all your might and He will conduct you to heaven. “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
~ A.W.Pink
And if you die in your present condition, you will be lost forever. But if you have been brought to the place where sin is your greatest plague, where offending God is your greatest grief, and where your deepest desire is now to please and honor Him; then there is hope for you. “The Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). And He will save you providing you are ready and willing to throw down the weapons of your warfare against Him, bow to His Lordship, and surrender yourself to His control. His blood can wash the foulest clean. His grace can support and uphold the weakest. His power can deliver the tried and tempted. “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day salvation” (2 Cor6:2). Yield yourself to Christ's claims. Give Him the throne of your heart. Turn over to Him the regulation ofyour life. Trust in His atoning death. Love Him with all your soul. Obey Him with all your might and He will conduct you to heaven. “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
~ A.W.Pink
Monday, August 8, 2011
Spiritual Battle
"You will be wounded. Just because this battle is spiritual doesn't mean it's not real; it is, and the wounds a man can take are in some ways more ugly than those that come in a firefight. To lose a leg is nothing compared to losing heart; to be crippled by shrapnel need not destroy your soul, but to be crippled by shame and guilt may. You will be wounded by the Enemy. He knows the wounds of your past, and he will try to wound you again in the same place." - John Eldredge, "Wild at Heart"
I watched the following video this evening. It was no coincidence that God put this in my path at this time as I have been struggling the past few weeks with feelings of hopelessness and anxiety, as well as mental and spiritual exhaustion. The battle has seemingly become ever more difficult causing me to grow weary, which has in turn led to my attempting to find escape...often in things other than God. I will have more to say on this in following blogs but this offers a good foundation and starting point.
Britt Merrick - A Dialoge on The Devil, Demons and Spiritual Warfare from Reality on Vimeo.
"Every story has a villain because yours does. You were born into a world at war. When Satan lost the battle against Michael and his angels, "he was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him" (Rev. 12:9). That means that right now, on this earth, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fallen angels, foul spirits, bent on our destruction. And what is Satan's mood? "He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short" (v. 12). So what does he spend every day and every night of his sleepless, untiring existence doing? "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against . . . those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (v. 17). He has you in his crosshairs, and he isn't smiling.
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/spiritual-warfare
You have an enemy. He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, destroy your life." - John Eldredge, "Waking the Dead"
I watched the following video this evening. It was no coincidence that God put this in my path at this time as I have been struggling the past few weeks with feelings of hopelessness and anxiety, as well as mental and spiritual exhaustion. The battle has seemingly become ever more difficult causing me to grow weary, which has in turn led to my attempting to find escape...often in things other than God. I will have more to say on this in following blogs but this offers a good foundation and starting point.
Britt Merrick - A Dialoge on The Devil, Demons and Spiritual Warfare from Reality on Vimeo.
"Every story has a villain because yours does. You were born into a world at war. When Satan lost the battle against Michael and his angels, "he was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him" (Rev. 12:9). That means that right now, on this earth, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fallen angels, foul spirits, bent on our destruction. And what is Satan's mood? "He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short" (v. 12). So what does he spend every day and every night of his sleepless, untiring existence doing? "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against . . . those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (v. 17). He has you in his crosshairs, and he isn't smiling.
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/spiritual-warfare
You have an enemy. He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, destroy your life." - John Eldredge, "Waking the Dead"
Friday, July 22, 2011
See Others as Jesus Does
From The Resurgence...
A Greasy Spoon at 3AM
Tony Campolo tells of a time when he was speaking in Honolulu, Hawaii. Campolo lives on the east coast of the United States so his body was six hours ahead of Hawaiian time. At three o-clock in the morning it felt like nine o-clock to him. Awake and hungry for breakfast, he found himself in a "greasy spoon" café in the small hours of the morning. As he bit into his doughnut, eight or nine prostitutes walked in. They had just finished for the night. Their talk was loud and crude, and it was difficult to avoid listening in. He heard one tell the others it was her birthday the following day. "What do want from me? A birthday cake?" was the sarcastic reply. "Why be so mean?" she replied, "I was just telling you. I don’t expect anything. I’ve never had a birthday party. I’m not expecting to have one now." When Campolo heard this he made a decision.
When the women left, he went over to the café owner, a guy called Harry. "Do they always come in here?" "Yes," said Harry. "Including the one who sat next to me?" "Yes, that’s Agnes. Why do you want to know?" "Because I heard her say it’s her birthday tomorrow and I thought we might throw her a party." Pause. Then a smile grew across Harry’s lips. "That’d be a great idea." A moment later his wife was in on the plot.
What Happens Next
Half past two the next morning. Campolo had brought decorations and Harry had baked a cake. Word had got out and it seemed as if every prostitute in Honolulu was in the café – plus Campolo, a preacher. When Agnes entered with her friends, she was flabbergasted. Her mouth fell open and her knees wobbled. As she sat on a stool, everyone sang "Happy Birthday". "Blow out the candles," people shouted, but in the end Harry had to do it for her. Then he handed her a knife. "Cut the cake, Agnes, so we can all have some." She looked at the cake. Then slowly said, "Is it alright … would you mind … if I wait a little longer … if we didn’t eat it straight away?" "Sure. It’s okay," said Harry. "Take it home if you want"’ "Can I?" she said, "Can I take it home now? I’ll be back in a few minutes." And with that she left, carrying her precious cake out the café.
What Kind of Church?
There was a stunned silence. So Campolo said, "What do you say we pray?" And they did. Campolo lead a group of prostitutes in prayer at 3:30 in the morning. When they were done, Harry said, "Hey! You never told me you were some kind of preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?" Campolo answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." Harry waited for a moment. Then he kind of sneered, "No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was, I’d join it. I’d join a church like that." Campolo comments:
Wouldn’t we all? Wouldn’t we all love to join a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning?... But anybody who reads the New Testament will discover a Jesus who loved to party with prostitutes and with all kinds of left-out people. The tax collectors and "sinners" loved him because he partied with them. The lepers of society found in him someone who would eat and drink with them. And while the solemnly pious people could not relate to what he was about, those lonely people who usually didn’t get invited to parties took to him with excitement.
A Greasy Spoon at 3AM
Tony Campolo tells of a time when he was speaking in Honolulu, Hawaii. Campolo lives on the east coast of the United States so his body was six hours ahead of Hawaiian time. At three o-clock in the morning it felt like nine o-clock to him. Awake and hungry for breakfast, he found himself in a "greasy spoon" café in the small hours of the morning. As he bit into his doughnut, eight or nine prostitutes walked in. They had just finished for the night. Their talk was loud and crude, and it was difficult to avoid listening in. He heard one tell the others it was her birthday the following day. "What do want from me? A birthday cake?" was the sarcastic reply. "Why be so mean?" she replied, "I was just telling you. I don’t expect anything. I’ve never had a birthday party. I’m not expecting to have one now." When Campolo heard this he made a decision.
When the women left, he went over to the café owner, a guy called Harry. "Do they always come in here?" "Yes," said Harry. "Including the one who sat next to me?" "Yes, that’s Agnes. Why do you want to know?" "Because I heard her say it’s her birthday tomorrow and I thought we might throw her a party." Pause. Then a smile grew across Harry’s lips. "That’d be a great idea." A moment later his wife was in on the plot.
What Happens Next
Half past two the next morning. Campolo had brought decorations and Harry had baked a cake. Word had got out and it seemed as if every prostitute in Honolulu was in the café – plus Campolo, a preacher. When Agnes entered with her friends, she was flabbergasted. Her mouth fell open and her knees wobbled. As she sat on a stool, everyone sang "Happy Birthday". "Blow out the candles," people shouted, but in the end Harry had to do it for her. Then he handed her a knife. "Cut the cake, Agnes, so we can all have some." She looked at the cake. Then slowly said, "Is it alright … would you mind … if I wait a little longer … if we didn’t eat it straight away?" "Sure. It’s okay," said Harry. "Take it home if you want"’ "Can I?" she said, "Can I take it home now? I’ll be back in a few minutes." And with that she left, carrying her precious cake out the café.
What Kind of Church?
There was a stunned silence. So Campolo said, "What do you say we pray?" And they did. Campolo lead a group of prostitutes in prayer at 3:30 in the morning. When they were done, Harry said, "Hey! You never told me you were some kind of preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?" Campolo answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." Harry waited for a moment. Then he kind of sneered, "No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was, I’d join it. I’d join a church like that." Campolo comments:
Wouldn’t we all? Wouldn’t we all love to join a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning?... But anybody who reads the New Testament will discover a Jesus who loved to party with prostitutes and with all kinds of left-out people. The tax collectors and "sinners" loved him because he partied with them. The lepers of society found in him someone who would eat and drink with them. And while the solemnly pious people could not relate to what he was about, those lonely people who usually didn’t get invited to parties took to him with excitement.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Gospel Follow-Up
"Do not look to your faith to save you. Look to the object of your faith to save you."
"If you believe strongly in the absolute truth of the Gospel...it will only serve to drain you of superiority and self-righteousness." - Tim Keller
One of the most powerful temptations that Christians endure is the lie that although justification is about Christ's work on the cross, sanctification is ultimately about improvements in our behavior. While it is true that being born again of the Spirit should bring about new desires and our lives should bear fruit,
http://thisoughtabegood.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-good-works-and-salvation-meet.html
we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that our response to what Christ has done for us ultimately takes precedence. I have had concerns in my life over habitual sin and whether or not that means I am truly born again, i.e. saved. After all, if I am a new creation, shouldn't I be acting more like it? God has changed my perspective on that - from using my behavior as a barometer of my salvation to resting securely in God's grace and forgiveness and letting that promise transform my heart, desires and actions. In other words, God reminds me that the saving work of the Gospel is His and not mine.
The following is from Mark Galli and I think it is spot on...
The good news is that our salvation is not dependent on our success at making right choices, even the right choice of faith. In fact, the Bible regularly reminds us that we cannot consistently make good choices with our corrupt wills. As Paul puts it, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19, NIV) Instead of relying on an autonomous free will to remind us to make right choices, we are called to simply trust what Christ has done for us on the cross and through his resurrection.
But isn’t that a choice, to trust in Christ? Yes and no. It is not even a possibility without God’s intervention. We can’t even recognize who Christ is, what he has done for us, and sense his invitation to respond in faith without the work of the Holy Spirit. The very fact that we can apprehend all this is a gift right from the start.
Furthermore, to trust in Christ means that it is not my trust that reconciles God to me or me to God. It is the death and resurrection of Christ that reconciles God to me and the faith empowered by the Holy Spirit that reconciles me to God.
This is why the Gospel is such good news. There are times when even the most dedicated Christian will recognize that his or her life is still in shambles, still driven by selfishness, still filled with doubt and confusion about God. At such times, panic can set in. Am I really a Christian? Is God working in my life to bring me into deeper fellowship with him? Has God given me the gift of grace? Will I enjoy the fellowship of heaven? Do I believe enough to be saved? The very fact that these sorts of questions bother us at such times shows that the Holy Spirit is, in fact, working in our lives. One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to convict the world of sin and guilt (see John 16:8). So the paradox is that when we’re troubled like this, it’s the very sign of God working in our lives to bring us into deeper fellowship with him.
And of course, we do not believe enough to be saved. Of course, selfishness rules our hearts in too many ways. Of course, we have doubts and confusion about God. It’s called sin. But the gospel calls us to stop looking at ourselves — at our doubts, our sins, and our choices. The Gospel says look to Christ. Don’t trust in your ability to choose right or even to trust perfectly. Look to Christ, who died for sinners. Faith is recognizing the reality of our situation and the deeper reality of our Savior. Faith is the drowning man grasping the outstretched arm of his rescuer. Faith includes a response, but our response is not the main thing. Christ is.
"If you believe strongly in the absolute truth of the Gospel...it will only serve to drain you of superiority and self-righteousness." - Tim Keller
One of the most powerful temptations that Christians endure is the lie that although justification is about Christ's work on the cross, sanctification is ultimately about improvements in our behavior. While it is true that being born again of the Spirit should bring about new desires and our lives should bear fruit,
http://thisoughtabegood.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-good-works-and-salvation-meet.html
we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that our response to what Christ has done for us ultimately takes precedence. I have had concerns in my life over habitual sin and whether or not that means I am truly born again, i.e. saved. After all, if I am a new creation, shouldn't I be acting more like it? God has changed my perspective on that - from using my behavior as a barometer of my salvation to resting securely in God's grace and forgiveness and letting that promise transform my heart, desires and actions. In other words, God reminds me that the saving work of the Gospel is His and not mine.
The following is from Mark Galli and I think it is spot on...
The good news is that our salvation is not dependent on our success at making right choices, even the right choice of faith. In fact, the Bible regularly reminds us that we cannot consistently make good choices with our corrupt wills. As Paul puts it, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19, NIV) Instead of relying on an autonomous free will to remind us to make right choices, we are called to simply trust what Christ has done for us on the cross and through his resurrection.
But isn’t that a choice, to trust in Christ? Yes and no. It is not even a possibility without God’s intervention. We can’t even recognize who Christ is, what he has done for us, and sense his invitation to respond in faith without the work of the Holy Spirit. The very fact that we can apprehend all this is a gift right from the start.
Furthermore, to trust in Christ means that it is not my trust that reconciles God to me or me to God. It is the death and resurrection of Christ that reconciles God to me and the faith empowered by the Holy Spirit that reconciles me to God.
This is why the Gospel is such good news. There are times when even the most dedicated Christian will recognize that his or her life is still in shambles, still driven by selfishness, still filled with doubt and confusion about God. At such times, panic can set in. Am I really a Christian? Is God working in my life to bring me into deeper fellowship with him? Has God given me the gift of grace? Will I enjoy the fellowship of heaven? Do I believe enough to be saved? The very fact that these sorts of questions bother us at such times shows that the Holy Spirit is, in fact, working in our lives. One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to convict the world of sin and guilt (see John 16:8). So the paradox is that when we’re troubled like this, it’s the very sign of God working in our lives to bring us into deeper fellowship with him.
And of course, we do not believe enough to be saved. Of course, selfishness rules our hearts in too many ways. Of course, we have doubts and confusion about God. It’s called sin. But the gospel calls us to stop looking at ourselves — at our doubts, our sins, and our choices. The Gospel says look to Christ. Don’t trust in your ability to choose right or even to trust perfectly. Look to Christ, who died for sinners. Faith is recognizing the reality of our situation and the deeper reality of our Savior. Faith is the drowning man grasping the outstretched arm of his rescuer. Faith includes a response, but our response is not the main thing. Christ is.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Gospel
"We are deconstructed and reconstructed by the Gospel." - Tim Keller
"The Gospel frees you from the pressure of having to make something out of yourself. Because Jesus was Someone, we're free to be no one." - Pastor Tullian
I wanted to write a follow up to my last post on idolatry. Why are idols such a problem for us Christians? Yes, we are sinners and we are naturally pulled toward the things of this world. But I think that is only part of the equation. Aren't we supposed to be freed from sin, no longer a slave to it? Why do we so easily heed its beck and call? Could it be that we have failed to truly grasp the Gospel and instead turned it into an idol? And when it doesn't come through for us the way we think it should we simply turn to other sources that appear to offer something better and more attainable? I think Matt Chandler hits the nail on the head in this video. We have made the Gospel about us rather than the One who saved us causing us to miss the beautiful message of hope and freedom within.
"No wonder that a recent study by Lifeway Research found that 70% of young Protestant adults between the ages of 18-22 have stopped attending church. If you “accepted” Jesus into your heart years ago but besetting problems persist, and some circumstances even appear to get worse, if the Gospel is subjective, is it still true? Does it have the same power? That someone would walk away from the whole business is a foregone conclusion. For the remotely self-aware person, a Gospel based on personal sanctification is no Gospel at all. It produces refugees." - David Zahl/Jacob Smith
The Gospel is objective. It happened 2000 years ago on a cross on Calvary where Jesus took my sin and gave me His righteousness. That is freedom. That cannot be taken away from us. It cannot be diminished. It cannot be overshadowed. Unless...we allow it to be by using our happiness as the barometer of whether or not the Gospel is true in our lives. I think this is where I got into trouble. Because I remember being "the good kid" in high school. The message that I should be a good kid not only came from my parents, teachers, coaches, etc., but it came from my church. I think that message drowned out the Gospel. I think it was greatly assumed that we knew Jesus died for us and ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD what that really meant so let's move on and talk about other things.
If the question we are asking ourselves is, "Has my life changed for the better?" in regards to whether or not the Gospel is working for us then we have missed everything. This is how I got to the point of believing that God somehow owed me because I had been diligent in obeying Him. The Gospel became subjective in my life, based on my behavior rather than my behavior being a natural outflow of the Gospel being the foundation of my life. Do you get what it means to find your identity in what Christ has done for you? It changes EVERYTHING! The Gospel destroys your selfishness and desperate seeking for relevance inside of yourself and in the world. It replaces it with the deepest possible peace that your worth is priceless and has already been secured.
It no longer matters whether others approve of you. God approves of you and if God is for you who can be against you?!? It no longer matters whether you have control. God is in control. It no longer matters whether you have comfort. You find your rest in God and your reward lies above. There is power in weakness because you have turned from saviors that will always turn on you. Instead, you turn to the Savior who has ALREADY saved you.
We don’t start with our behavior and try to go in and change our hearts. We start with our hearts. So motivated by the Gospel, as we see it, as we believe, as we hear it, as we embrace it with our hearts more and more, we transfer our trust from these other saviors onto Jesus Christ. So there is a believing the Gospel that leads us to repentance, which is us transferring our trust from this thing or this person onto the person of Jesus Christ. According to pastor Tullian Tchividjian, the Gospel essentially gives us all things that we’re looking to these other
saviors to give us. It actually does give us what they can’t ever give us. He says, “The gospel is the good news that, in His life, by His death and with His resurrection, Jesus Christ secured for sinners all the approval, justification, affection, achievement, freedom, meaning, righteousness, rescue, purpose and protection that we are longing for.” All these things that we’re longing for are found in Jesus Christ. And if we want to displace the idols, even the deep idols that are in our heart, Jesus Christ has to become more beautiful to us, more hope-giving to us than these other things.
The Gospel calls us to what is eternal rather than temporal...to what has infinite value over what is ultimately worthless to what is true and pure over what is false and tainted.
This is too good not to post again...a very unique and powerful Gospel presentation:
G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.
"Self-centeredness makes everything else a means to an end." - Tim Keller
God is the end and the means to that end. Keep your eyes fixed on Him.
On that day, you will need more than pragmatism:
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/gospel-and-oncology-waiting-room/
http://dailykeller.com/what-is-the-gospel/
http://kellerquotes.com/the-gospel-in-a-nutshell/
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-gospel/
"The Gospel frees you from the pressure of having to make something out of yourself. Because Jesus was Someone, we're free to be no one." - Pastor Tullian
I wanted to write a follow up to my last post on idolatry. Why are idols such a problem for us Christians? Yes, we are sinners and we are naturally pulled toward the things of this world. But I think that is only part of the equation. Aren't we supposed to be freed from sin, no longer a slave to it? Why do we so easily heed its beck and call? Could it be that we have failed to truly grasp the Gospel and instead turned it into an idol? And when it doesn't come through for us the way we think it should we simply turn to other sources that appear to offer something better and more attainable? I think Matt Chandler hits the nail on the head in this video. We have made the Gospel about us rather than the One who saved us causing us to miss the beautiful message of hope and freedom within.
"No wonder that a recent study by Lifeway Research found that 70% of young Protestant adults between the ages of 18-22 have stopped attending church. If you “accepted” Jesus into your heart years ago but besetting problems persist, and some circumstances even appear to get worse, if the Gospel is subjective, is it still true? Does it have the same power? That someone would walk away from the whole business is a foregone conclusion. For the remotely self-aware person, a Gospel based on personal sanctification is no Gospel at all. It produces refugees." - David Zahl/Jacob Smith
The Gospel is objective. It happened 2000 years ago on a cross on Calvary where Jesus took my sin and gave me His righteousness. That is freedom. That cannot be taken away from us. It cannot be diminished. It cannot be overshadowed. Unless...we allow it to be by using our happiness as the barometer of whether or not the Gospel is true in our lives. I think this is where I got into trouble. Because I remember being "the good kid" in high school. The message that I should be a good kid not only came from my parents, teachers, coaches, etc., but it came from my church. I think that message drowned out the Gospel. I think it was greatly assumed that we knew Jesus died for us and ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD what that really meant so let's move on and talk about other things.
If the question we are asking ourselves is, "Has my life changed for the better?" in regards to whether or not the Gospel is working for us then we have missed everything. This is how I got to the point of believing that God somehow owed me because I had been diligent in obeying Him. The Gospel became subjective in my life, based on my behavior rather than my behavior being a natural outflow of the Gospel being the foundation of my life. Do you get what it means to find your identity in what Christ has done for you? It changes EVERYTHING! The Gospel destroys your selfishness and desperate seeking for relevance inside of yourself and in the world. It replaces it with the deepest possible peace that your worth is priceless and has already been secured.
It no longer matters whether others approve of you. God approves of you and if God is for you who can be against you?!? It no longer matters whether you have control. God is in control. It no longer matters whether you have comfort. You find your rest in God and your reward lies above. There is power in weakness because you have turned from saviors that will always turn on you. Instead, you turn to the Savior who has ALREADY saved you.
We don’t start with our behavior and try to go in and change our hearts. We start with our hearts. So motivated by the Gospel, as we see it, as we believe, as we hear it, as we embrace it with our hearts more and more, we transfer our trust from these other saviors onto Jesus Christ. So there is a believing the Gospel that leads us to repentance, which is us transferring our trust from this thing or this person onto the person of Jesus Christ. According to pastor Tullian Tchividjian, the Gospel essentially gives us all things that we’re looking to these other
saviors to give us. It actually does give us what they can’t ever give us. He says, “The gospel is the good news that, in His life, by His death and with His resurrection, Jesus Christ secured for sinners all the approval, justification, affection, achievement, freedom, meaning, righteousness, rescue, purpose and protection that we are longing for.” All these things that we’re longing for are found in Jesus Christ. And if we want to displace the idols, even the deep idols that are in our heart, Jesus Christ has to become more beautiful to us, more hope-giving to us than these other things.
The Gospel calls us to what is eternal rather than temporal...to what has infinite value over what is ultimately worthless to what is true and pure over what is false and tainted.
This is too good not to post again...a very unique and powerful Gospel presentation:
G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.
"Self-centeredness makes everything else a means to an end." - Tim Keller
God is the end and the means to that end. Keep your eyes fixed on Him.
On that day, you will need more than pragmatism:
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/gospel-and-oncology-waiting-room/
http://dailykeller.com/what-is-the-gospel/
http://kellerquotes.com/the-gospel-in-a-nutshell/
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-gospel/
Monday, July 4, 2011
Idolatry
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:20-21 (ESV)
“An idol is anything in my life that occupies a place that should be occupied by God alone. An idol is something that holds such a controlling position in my life that it moves and rouses and attracts me so easily that I give my time, attention and money to it effortlessly.” - Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones
"Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C.S. Lewis
"You've distorted your deepest wish by trying to make it into your savior, and now that you finally have it, it's turned on you." - Tim Keller
I have always known I have idols. The First Commandment is hard to miss. But it wasn't until the past couple of years that I have realized just how deeply embedded idolatry is in my life. As my faith has grown and matured the Holy Spirit has brought about new conviction and enlightenment when it comes to objects of my heart's affection. All of us have readily identifiable idols. These are things that Tim Keller calls "visible surface idols". They include things like money, career, relationships, health, sex and food. We know that in their originally intended form they are good things. But we also have a pretty good idea that when our sinful desires twist their purpose and their place they begin to control us and become a poison in our lives. As Matt Chandler says, "We have made good things into ultimate things."
The deeper idols in our lives are not as simple to discern but they are the disease that produces the surface idols. They include things such as power, control, approval and comfort. This is where God has really been working on me. Two of the biggest deep idols in my life are my desire for approval and control.
The first one should have been obvious to me long ago but it wasn't. I was the high school valedictorian and voted "Most Intelligent" and "Most Likely to Succeed". Those were nice things but the price was being continually ridiculed by many of my classmates for a majority of my junior high and high school lives. My identity was being "the smart kid" so I consciously vowed to not let that define me in college and beyond. Although I removed the surface idol, I didn't realize it remained deep inside. So, as I got into my career and began meeting more failures than successes despite hard work, I began to experience depression. My intelligence had turned into my own "little savior". I still knew I was smart and that meant I could have power, and ultimately comfort, because I could make myself be successful. Even more than that, I felt I was entitled to some measure of success. My identity and self-worth had gotten tied up in what I could do for myself. Britt Merrick's words ring so true at this moment:
"Christian, define yourself exclusively and radically as one beloved of God. Every other identity is an illusion and is false."
The second deep idol really caught me by surprise. It's really the idol of control. The Holy Spirit spoke to me through Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God". In that book, he talks about why the elder brother was so upset at his father's unbridled joy upon the return of his youngest son. The older brother felt that his father owed him for his loyalty, hard work and devotion. What he felt he was owed was being freely given to a child who, in his brother's eyes, deserved nothing but scorn and disdain. I realized there was a deep part of me that felt like God owed me when I was doing good things. Of course, the flip side of the coin was also true. I felt like bad things should happen when I sinned. Yes, I thought I understood the concept of grace but my relationship with God was actually works-based under the surface. I wasn't loving God simply for who He was but rather what He could do for me, and at the same time, basing God's love for me on what I could do for Him. So when things in my life went poorly despite my best efforts to please my Lord, it left me with confusion and despair.
Both of these idols have one thing in common. They are about me. Even though we were made to worship One who is infinitely greater than us, it seems that our ultimate idol is ultimately us. That leads to some disturbing questions. Why do I place more faith in myself than I do in God? Why do I trust my heart more than God's heart? Why do I think I know better than God regarding what is best for me?
I can only draw one conclusion. I simply don't trust that God has my best interests at heart. The world teaches us to look out for ourselves first because we can be assured that we have our best interests at heart but we can't be certain that anyone else really does. We have all been let down in our earthly relationships. I think I have extrapolated those messages and disappointments into the implicit belief that God will let me down as well. Yes, a ridiculous conclusion given the cross and all the blessings in my life, but we can so easily and subtly make agreements with ourselves that have no basis in reality.
So when the Bible says God is love my initial response is "Yes...but". I don't live in a world of absolutes so my knee jerk reaction is to say, "OK, I believe that is true but there has to be more to the story. What am I not being told?" Yet, the more we study the Bible and the more we mature in our faith, the more God shows Himself to be a loving and gracious Father again and again. This eventually changes my response to the Bible's declarations of God's goodness to, "Yes...and". There is more to the story (holiness, for example) but whatever is next will not offset or detract from God's heart toward me.
If we want to displace these deep idols in our heart, if God is gracious, He might rip them out of our hands. He may do that if He’s merciful. If He’s not merciful like we read in Romans 1, He just lets you continue to chase them. The other way we can displace these idols is if we come to see Jesus Christ as infinitely more beautiful, infinitely more valuable, infinitely more hope giving and worthy of our affections than whatever it is right now for you that’s your savior that you’re looking for it to give you only what Jesus Christ could do. So it’s only when Jesus Christ becomes the predominant affection of your heart that the other things that your heart is giving affection and attention to will be uprooted and replaced. Whatever you’ve been looking to for significance, whatever you’ve been trusting in to make you somebody, whoever you’ve been depending on to make life worth living, look away from that and look to Jesus Christ.(1)
If we aren't willing to sacrifice relationships, careers, finances, or possessions to do God's will, they will become idols. Our pursuit should be joy rather than happiness. The former endures while the latter comes and goes in an instant. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that can't be taken from us while earthly happiness can be snatched in a heartbeat. Let us pursue treasures beyond this world and keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Perfector of our faith.
"If you want to get warm you move near the fire. If you want joy, peace, eternal life, you must get close to what has them." - C.S. Lewis
“Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in God.” - Saint Augustine
And when the day is closing in like the stars in the night
I am falling into the pull of the earth and its affections
In me, O Lord, can You create a pure heart
Because I'm afraid that I just might run back
To the things I hate
Satisfy me, Lord, oh
Satisfy me, Lord, oh
Yeah I'm begging You, to help me see
You're all I want, You're what I need
Oh satisfy me, Lord - Tenth Avenue North, "Satisfy"
(1)- Paragraph taken from "Deep Idols" sermon by Beau Hughes at The Village Church, 3/6/11
http://sukofamily.org/?p=3048
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/gospeldrivenchurch/2014/06/18/the-everythingness-of-grace/
http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2011/02/02/the-greatest-gifts-can-become-deadly-substitutes-for-god/
“An idol is anything in my life that occupies a place that should be occupied by God alone. An idol is something that holds such a controlling position in my life that it moves and rouses and attracts me so easily that I give my time, attention and money to it effortlessly.” - Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones
"Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C.S. Lewis
"You've distorted your deepest wish by trying to make it into your savior, and now that you finally have it, it's turned on you." - Tim Keller
I have always known I have idols. The First Commandment is hard to miss. But it wasn't until the past couple of years that I have realized just how deeply embedded idolatry is in my life. As my faith has grown and matured the Holy Spirit has brought about new conviction and enlightenment when it comes to objects of my heart's affection. All of us have readily identifiable idols. These are things that Tim Keller calls "visible surface idols". They include things like money, career, relationships, health, sex and food. We know that in their originally intended form they are good things. But we also have a pretty good idea that when our sinful desires twist their purpose and their place they begin to control us and become a poison in our lives. As Matt Chandler says, "We have made good things into ultimate things."
The deeper idols in our lives are not as simple to discern but they are the disease that produces the surface idols. They include things such as power, control, approval and comfort. This is where God has really been working on me. Two of the biggest deep idols in my life are my desire for approval and control.
The first one should have been obvious to me long ago but it wasn't. I was the high school valedictorian and voted "Most Intelligent" and "Most Likely to Succeed". Those were nice things but the price was being continually ridiculed by many of my classmates for a majority of my junior high and high school lives. My identity was being "the smart kid" so I consciously vowed to not let that define me in college and beyond. Although I removed the surface idol, I didn't realize it remained deep inside. So, as I got into my career and began meeting more failures than successes despite hard work, I began to experience depression. My intelligence had turned into my own "little savior". I still knew I was smart and that meant I could have power, and ultimately comfort, because I could make myself be successful. Even more than that, I felt I was entitled to some measure of success. My identity and self-worth had gotten tied up in what I could do for myself. Britt Merrick's words ring so true at this moment:
"Christian, define yourself exclusively and radically as one beloved of God. Every other identity is an illusion and is false."
The second deep idol really caught me by surprise. It's really the idol of control. The Holy Spirit spoke to me through Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God". In that book, he talks about why the elder brother was so upset at his father's unbridled joy upon the return of his youngest son. The older brother felt that his father owed him for his loyalty, hard work and devotion. What he felt he was owed was being freely given to a child who, in his brother's eyes, deserved nothing but scorn and disdain. I realized there was a deep part of me that felt like God owed me when I was doing good things. Of course, the flip side of the coin was also true. I felt like bad things should happen when I sinned. Yes, I thought I understood the concept of grace but my relationship with God was actually works-based under the surface. I wasn't loving God simply for who He was but rather what He could do for me, and at the same time, basing God's love for me on what I could do for Him. So when things in my life went poorly despite my best efforts to please my Lord, it left me with confusion and despair.
Both of these idols have one thing in common. They are about me. Even though we were made to worship One who is infinitely greater than us, it seems that our ultimate idol is ultimately us. That leads to some disturbing questions. Why do I place more faith in myself than I do in God? Why do I trust my heart more than God's heart? Why do I think I know better than God regarding what is best for me?
I can only draw one conclusion. I simply don't trust that God has my best interests at heart. The world teaches us to look out for ourselves first because we can be assured that we have our best interests at heart but we can't be certain that anyone else really does. We have all been let down in our earthly relationships. I think I have extrapolated those messages and disappointments into the implicit belief that God will let me down as well. Yes, a ridiculous conclusion given the cross and all the blessings in my life, but we can so easily and subtly make agreements with ourselves that have no basis in reality.
So when the Bible says God is love my initial response is "Yes...but". I don't live in a world of absolutes so my knee jerk reaction is to say, "OK, I believe that is true but there has to be more to the story. What am I not being told?" Yet, the more we study the Bible and the more we mature in our faith, the more God shows Himself to be a loving and gracious Father again and again. This eventually changes my response to the Bible's declarations of God's goodness to, "Yes...and". There is more to the story (holiness, for example) but whatever is next will not offset or detract from God's heart toward me.
If we want to displace these deep idols in our heart, if God is gracious, He might rip them out of our hands. He may do that if He’s merciful. If He’s not merciful like we read in Romans 1, He just lets you continue to chase them. The other way we can displace these idols is if we come to see Jesus Christ as infinitely more beautiful, infinitely more valuable, infinitely more hope giving and worthy of our affections than whatever it is right now for you that’s your savior that you’re looking for it to give you only what Jesus Christ could do. So it’s only when Jesus Christ becomes the predominant affection of your heart that the other things that your heart is giving affection and attention to will be uprooted and replaced. Whatever you’ve been looking to for significance, whatever you’ve been trusting in to make you somebody, whoever you’ve been depending on to make life worth living, look away from that and look to Jesus Christ.(1)
If we aren't willing to sacrifice relationships, careers, finances, or possessions to do God's will, they will become idols. Our pursuit should be joy rather than happiness. The former endures while the latter comes and goes in an instant. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that can't be taken from us while earthly happiness can be snatched in a heartbeat. Let us pursue treasures beyond this world and keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Perfector of our faith.
"If you want to get warm you move near the fire. If you want joy, peace, eternal life, you must get close to what has them." - C.S. Lewis
“Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in God.” - Saint Augustine
And when the day is closing in like the stars in the night
I am falling into the pull of the earth and its affections
In me, O Lord, can You create a pure heart
Because I'm afraid that I just might run back
To the things I hate
Satisfy me, Lord, oh
Satisfy me, Lord, oh
Yeah I'm begging You, to help me see
You're all I want, You're what I need
Oh satisfy me, Lord - Tenth Avenue North, "Satisfy"
(1)- Paragraph taken from "Deep Idols" sermon by Beau Hughes at The Village Church, 3/6/11
http://sukofamily.org/?p=3048
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/gospeldrivenchurch/2014/06/18/the-everythingness-of-grace/
http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2011/02/02/the-greatest-gifts-can-become-deadly-substitutes-for-god/
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