Philippians 3:7-9 "7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
As I sat pondering these words for some time I began to realize a disheartening truth in Christianity today...Christians today are not like the disciple Paul describes of himself above. In fact many so-called Christians today have missed something, they aren't getting it, they have missed the mark and it is time to re-focus and re-train our thinking.
The term "Christian" is thrown around lightly especially in the United States. In fact it is almost cultural to be called a Christian. If you don't have a religious affiliation you are a "Christian", if you believe there is a greater power...God maybe, you are a "Christian", if you do good things for others, you are a "Christian"...and the list goes on. But what on earth are we thinking? How has American Christianity become so fruitless, so mediocre, and worse so wrong? Why do people no longer even know what a "Christian" is?
When I hear the word Christian I immediately think a disciple of Christ. I think of someone who is sold out for Him, who is passionately pursuing Him, who has their goal in mind and is striving whole-heartedly to gain the prize. I think of someone who is saturated in the truth of God's Word, who is actively serving the Lord and others, who is burdened with the desire for God's name to be glorified and who is living a life that is radically and when I say radically I mean RADICALLY different then those around them. But lets be honest here, is this what we see in modern Christianity? Does this even describe some of us...any of us who are claiming to know Him?
Something has gone terribly awry in this "Christian" culture and we as genuine disciples should be burdened with a desire to set it straight. In the beginning of this post I posted Philippians 3:7-9. This is a challenging set of Scripture where we find that Christians are to have counted everything...EVERYTHING a loss compared to knowing Christ!! What does that even mean? To know Christ...does it mean to know a lot about him? Well yes that is part of it but it means so much more...
1 John 2:3 says, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands." But wait a second, if we are to obey His commands we are going to have to know them and the only way to know them is to be in His manual for life...the Word and in it daily and as often daily as we can be. Do we claim to know him but fail to read fellowship with Him in His Word and in prayer? Is there even a desire for you as a "Christian" to be in the Word? I would beg to say that if there is no desire there is something radically wrong with your thinking.
1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." What does it mean to love the world? Idols of the heart are ANYTHING that takes precedent over Christ. Anything we love more, we value more, are unwilling to sacrifice etc. for Christ. How often do we place things in front of Christ...He MUST be number one in all things...number one in your school work or your job, number one in your relationships, number one in your daily chores, number one in your worship...etc. If you love the world, if it is so appetizing to you and you love saturating yourself in it how can you claim to know Him? How can you claim that as Paul writes in Philippians 3 that you have considered all those things rubbish? Bottom line...YOU CANNOT!
1 John 2:29 says, "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." The child of God desires to please His father...desires to do what is right. Do you? Do you desire to live a life that mirrors Him and reflects Him in all His glory? If you are living a life that is not marked by righteousness there is something wrong.
I could go on and on about what it means to know Christ, what it means to be His true disciple and so forth but it all comes down to do you really know Christ? Does He know you? Have you picked up your cross and followed Him? Are you living a life that is radically and i mean RADICALLY different then those around you...even those who claim to be "Christians". Are you seeking Him with your whole heart? Is your desire, your passion and your goal to see His name glorified? Are you in love with the Savior and in awe of His mercy and lovingkindness? Have you been transformed by the Work of His Son on the cross?
The church has fallen prey to watering down the truth and even the Gospel. There is no longer a passion for truth and what a sadness that brings to my heart. Many are blinded by the men standing behind pulpits who are preaching something that is far from what the Word teaches. As true believers we should seek not only in our own lives to live by truth and proclaim it but to seek to share that truth with all those around us. "Christians" are not necessarily "Christians"...in fact I would argue that many are not.
May the reminder found in 1 John 3:1 (" How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! ")inspire us, encourage us, and motivate us to take heed and be like Paul and like the disciple he describes in Philippians 3...a man or woman who has counted everything a loss compared to Christ who is the beginning the middle and the end of life, all satisfaction and joy!!!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Learning from Job
This past weekend I had the privilege of going up to the Women discipling women conference at Grace Community Church. It was a great time of teaching and instruction from the Word of God on various issues in regards to biblical counseling. One specific message that resounded deep within was on the book of Job and how to counsel someone when the whole world seems to be caving in.
When we read the book of Job we quickly realize that God himself esteemed Job by calling him "blameless" and "upright"...in fact it is God who brings Job to the attention of Satan. We all know the story and how God grants Satan permission to try Job's faith in a sense. You see Satan's ideal is for us to be so stripped that we are doubting God's goodness and grace and curse his name. Then come the three friends and boy can we learn from them and the counsel they offer their dear hurting friend.
MISTAKES IN COUNSELING THE SUFFERING:
1. We miss the depth of God's wisdom and His counsel. We assume that God has the same plan for everyone and that is not true! All of us are legalists at heart and this is why we need the Gospel everyday. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT GOD IS DOING!!!
2. We assume that there is a direct one-on-one correlation between suffering and righteousness. We soon see Job wonder why God is not working the way he always did in his life as his mentality was that if he lived an upright life he would have a blessed life.
3.We can assume wrongly that suffering is punitive rather then redemptive...in fact it is done in love.
4. We don't realize that God's perspective on justice differs from ours. If we are saved our suffering is not the wrath of God on our sins as that has been poured out on Christ and paid for. In adversity we learn "Here I am, see how wonderful I am" from the Lord.
5. We can fail to listen (Proverbs 18:2)
6. We can fail to love and thereby fail to believe the best (1 Cor 13:7)
7. We can fall into self-righteousness and pride (Job 15:9)...always comparing
8. We can assume that we know everything about God's providence (1 Cor 13:4-5a)
HOW TO AVOID THESE MISTAKES:
- We need to listen and learn (Job 19:21)
- We need to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15)
-If one part of the body suffers we all do (1 Cor 12:26)
-We need to bear each others burdens (Galatians 6:2)
-We must treat all with kindness (2 Tim 2:24)
-We must be ready to bow in humility..God is not obligated to tell us why something is happening, he is not obligated to vindicate
REMEMBER GOD IS NOT YOUR ENEMY BECAUSE HE MADE HIS SON HIS ENEMY (Zeph 3)
HOW DOES JOB GAIN VICTORY?
1. Finds solid and firm ground...HIS REDEEMER LIVES (Job 19:25-27)
2. He realizes God is not punishing him but teaching him about who He is
3. His faith has been approved!
GOD'S GOAL IN AFFLICTION:
1. HIS GLORY
2. Our Good (Romans 8:28)
3. Our affliction is always redemptive since judgment has been poured on Christ, His son
HOW TO COUNSEL THE SUFFERING:
1. No complaining against one another
2. Realize God uses certain people to set examples for His glory
3. Help one endure by serving in practical ways, reassuring one of God's character
4. All the Lord's dealings are full of compassion and mercy
AND REMEMBER SOMETIMES GOD'S PROVIDENCE IS MORE COMPLEX THEN WE THINK (1 Thess 5:14)
When we read the book of Job we quickly realize that God himself esteemed Job by calling him "blameless" and "upright"...in fact it is God who brings Job to the attention of Satan. We all know the story and how God grants Satan permission to try Job's faith in a sense. You see Satan's ideal is for us to be so stripped that we are doubting God's goodness and grace and curse his name. Then come the three friends and boy can we learn from them and the counsel they offer their dear hurting friend.
MISTAKES IN COUNSELING THE SUFFERING:
1. We miss the depth of God's wisdom and His counsel. We assume that God has the same plan for everyone and that is not true! All of us are legalists at heart and this is why we need the Gospel everyday. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT GOD IS DOING!!!
2. We assume that there is a direct one-on-one correlation between suffering and righteousness. We soon see Job wonder why God is not working the way he always did in his life as his mentality was that if he lived an upright life he would have a blessed life.
3.We can assume wrongly that suffering is punitive rather then redemptive...in fact it is done in love.
4. We don't realize that God's perspective on justice differs from ours. If we are saved our suffering is not the wrath of God on our sins as that has been poured out on Christ and paid for. In adversity we learn "Here I am, see how wonderful I am" from the Lord.
5. We can fail to listen (Proverbs 18:2)
6. We can fail to love and thereby fail to believe the best (1 Cor 13:7)
7. We can fall into self-righteousness and pride (Job 15:9)...always comparing
8. We can assume that we know everything about God's providence (1 Cor 13:4-5a)
HOW TO AVOID THESE MISTAKES:
- We need to listen and learn (Job 19:21)
- We need to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15)
-If one part of the body suffers we all do (1 Cor 12:26)
-We need to bear each others burdens (Galatians 6:2)
-We must treat all with kindness (2 Tim 2:24)
-We must be ready to bow in humility..God is not obligated to tell us why something is happening, he is not obligated to vindicate
REMEMBER GOD IS NOT YOUR ENEMY BECAUSE HE MADE HIS SON HIS ENEMY (Zeph 3)
HOW DOES JOB GAIN VICTORY?
1. Finds solid and firm ground...HIS REDEEMER LIVES (Job 19:25-27)
2. He realizes God is not punishing him but teaching him about who He is
3. His faith has been approved!
GOD'S GOAL IN AFFLICTION:
1. HIS GLORY
2. Our Good (Romans 8:28)
3. Our affliction is always redemptive since judgment has been poured on Christ, His son
HOW TO COUNSEL THE SUFFERING:
1. No complaining against one another
2. Realize God uses certain people to set examples for His glory
3. Help one endure by serving in practical ways, reassuring one of God's character
4. All the Lord's dealings are full of compassion and mercy
AND REMEMBER SOMETIMES GOD'S PROVIDENCE IS MORE COMPLEX THEN WE THINK (1 Thess 5:14)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Five Truths of Heaven
Summary of Resolved Message by Steve Lawson
Do we desire to go to heaven? Is it some mystical aloof place in our mind or is the truth of its reality ever-present in our hearts and minds making us long to be where we belong? We must have a God-centered view of heaven in order to understand its reality. Often times we are quick to want to go to heaven to "get away from the sin of this world" or to "have a better life"...yes all of that is part of its beauty and glory but our main reason should be to see and worship our Maker!
Revelation 4 gives us a glimpse and perfect picture of heaven. Jonathan Edwards once said that he had one eye on heaven while he lived here. Do we?
REVELATION 4:9-11
" 1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
Heaven is the theater in which the glory of God is on display! Here are 5 truths of heaven in hopes that learning these you will long more for this wonderful place!!
1. SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD (v 1-3a)
- First thing that struck John was the throne and the one sitting on it...GOD
- The throne represents authority ove all
- Even in the darkest hours of human history there remains an authority that is immutable and unswayed
- He has, will and always REIGNS
- Psalm 115:3 He does what he pleases
- God always is working for His glory and our good as He builds His church
2. SPLENDOR OF GOD (v3b-4)
- A reign of regal majesty and splendor
- Jasper stone- diamond, sardius- ruby, rainbow- emerald
- Revelation 21- God, the sun will be His glory
- Revelation 24- The thrones share reign with those who have been faithful with Him
- In White- pure because washed with blood of the Lamb
- One day we will one day take ou place in this scene and given a white robe and to the degree we have been faithful we will be given a crown to cast at His feet
3. SEVERITY OF GOD (v 5)
- A storm in heaven around God which is the divine wrath of God upon a Christ rejecting world
- A holy God is angry with the wicked
- Romans 1:18- the present tense
- Mercy of God is holding back His wrath
- Righteous anger of a Holy God
- Lamps- these are war torches not night lights
- Revelation 6-7 are the sealed judgements
- Revelation 8-9 are the the trumpet judgements
- Revelation 16-17 are the bowl judgements and the Great Earthquake
- Every sin is going to be directly and personally punished by a Holy God
- Every sin pardoned in Christ or punished in hell
- God's wrath and our escape from it in Christ should give the believer immense joy for every believer!
- Revelation 19- AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER
4. SINFULNESS OF GOD (v6-8)
- There is a separation of God from His creatures
- Even when we are glorified He remains above us
- Fall on your face before Him
- 4 cheribum (Ezekiel 10, Genesis 3) are guarding the glory of God
- A lion- strong
- A calf- sacrifice
- Man- smart
- Eagle- swift
- Isaiah 6- seraphim that cover themselves to show their unworthiness
- Holiness is summation of all God is
- God is separated from His creation because He is holy and sinless, pure and separated from ALL sin
- Find joy in our God because He is the God who is, was and is to come
5. SUPREMACY OF GOD (v9-11)
- Everyone focused on the supremacy of God in heaven
- Give glory, honor, and thanks
- The elders set off everyone
- Intense in our worship? we lift others up and it becomes contagious
- We need to be zealous and fervent in praise for He is worthy!
- Triumphant procession magnified as the redeemed march to the throne of God and we say worthy and cast our crowns
- Present yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice
- Serve Him with the entirety of life
ARE YOU WILLING TO SAY, I WILL GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING, PAY ANY PRICE, and DO IT WITH ANYONE...SPEAK LORD!
Be excited about our future home, always be thinking upon it, but as God has left us here be encouraged that He will use you for His glory and to build His kingdom! And as Pastor Mike always says, lets get our job done and go home!!!
Do we desire to go to heaven? Is it some mystical aloof place in our mind or is the truth of its reality ever-present in our hearts and minds making us long to be where we belong? We must have a God-centered view of heaven in order to understand its reality. Often times we are quick to want to go to heaven to "get away from the sin of this world" or to "have a better life"...yes all of that is part of its beauty and glory but our main reason should be to see and worship our Maker!
Revelation 4 gives us a glimpse and perfect picture of heaven. Jonathan Edwards once said that he had one eye on heaven while he lived here. Do we?
REVELATION 4:9-11
" 1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
Heaven is the theater in which the glory of God is on display! Here are 5 truths of heaven in hopes that learning these you will long more for this wonderful place!!
1. SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD (v 1-3a)
- First thing that struck John was the throne and the one sitting on it...GOD
- The throne represents authority ove all
- Even in the darkest hours of human history there remains an authority that is immutable and unswayed
- He has, will and always REIGNS
- Psalm 115:3 He does what he pleases
- God always is working for His glory and our good as He builds His church
2. SPLENDOR OF GOD (v3b-4)
- A reign of regal majesty and splendor
- Jasper stone- diamond, sardius- ruby, rainbow- emerald
- Revelation 21- God, the sun will be His glory
- Revelation 24- The thrones share reign with those who have been faithful with Him
- In White- pure because washed with blood of the Lamb
- One day we will one day take ou place in this scene and given a white robe and to the degree we have been faithful we will be given a crown to cast at His feet
3. SEVERITY OF GOD (v 5)
- A storm in heaven around God which is the divine wrath of God upon a Christ rejecting world
- A holy God is angry with the wicked
- Romans 1:18- the present tense
- Mercy of God is holding back His wrath
- Righteous anger of a Holy God
- Lamps- these are war torches not night lights
- Revelation 6-7 are the sealed judgements
- Revelation 8-9 are the the trumpet judgements
- Revelation 16-17 are the bowl judgements and the Great Earthquake
- Every sin is going to be directly and personally punished by a Holy God
- Every sin pardoned in Christ or punished in hell
- God's wrath and our escape from it in Christ should give the believer immense joy for every believer!
- Revelation 19- AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER
4. SINFULNESS OF GOD (v6-8)
- There is a separation of God from His creatures
- Even when we are glorified He remains above us
- Fall on your face before Him
- 4 cheribum (Ezekiel 10, Genesis 3) are guarding the glory of God
- A lion- strong
- A calf- sacrifice
- Man- smart
- Eagle- swift
- Isaiah 6- seraphim that cover themselves to show their unworthiness
- Holiness is summation of all God is
- God is separated from His creation because He is holy and sinless, pure and separated from ALL sin
- Find joy in our God because He is the God who is, was and is to come
5. SUPREMACY OF GOD (v9-11)
- Everyone focused on the supremacy of God in heaven
- Give glory, honor, and thanks
- The elders set off everyone
- Intense in our worship? we lift others up and it becomes contagious
- We need to be zealous and fervent in praise for He is worthy!
- Triumphant procession magnified as the redeemed march to the throne of God and we say worthy and cast our crowns
- Present yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice
- Serve Him with the entirety of life
ARE YOU WILLING TO SAY, I WILL GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING, PAY ANY PRICE, and DO IT WITH ANYONE...SPEAK LORD!
Be excited about our future home, always be thinking upon it, but as God has left us here be encouraged that He will use you for His glory and to build His kingdom! And as Pastor Mike always says, lets get our job done and go home!!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Hell: The Echo and Insufficiency
This year at the Resolved conference the topics revolved around heaven and hell. Although I wasn't able to attend, listening to these powerfully thought provoking, convicting and encouraging messages has given me such a greater anticipation for the world we were made for as disciples of Christ...HEAVEN!
A few of the messages really stood out to me, one in specific was by John Piper in which he dealt with, as he put it, "the echo and insufficiency of hell". I want to briefly give u a bit of what I took away from the message and encourage you all to make time to listen to these messages yourself!
A. Hell: The truth, The echo
(Revelation 14:9-11 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.")
-Here we see five truths about hell
1. It is eternal
2. The suffering/torment of the people there
3. The consciousness of the people while suffering
4. The God-inflicted wrath (Matthew 8:12)
5. It is just, righteous and right
-God is the consitution, He has nobody to obey, there is nothing outside of Him to measure Him by
-Nobody will be in hell who does not deserve to be there (Romans 2:5, 1:18, and 3:5)
-God's unwaveing allegiance to uphold the value of what is infinitely valuable- HIS OWN GLORY
-Hell therefore is just
-Hell is meant to serve as an echo of the value of the glory of God
-Three hours of agony on a cross endured eternity in hell for millions and millions
B. The Insufficiency of Hell
-You can't scare someone into heaven, what cuts people to the heart is the tenderness and the graciousness of a Christ ready to save
-In Luke 5:1-10 we read of Peter's response to grace...where does his abhorence to himself come from? From a love for God's holiness.
-Genuine Gospel sorrow for sin is a sorrow for not having holiness
- True repentance is awakened by a delight in God and longing for His holiness...seeing how beautiful and amazing it is
-It is falling in love with all that God is for us in Jesus
-Hell can't produce satisfaction in God and can't produce repentance and can't save so it is therefore insufficient
-Hell scares people in the right direction only
DON'T LET THE FEAR OF HELL BE THE ENDPOINT OF REPENTANCE!
A few of the messages really stood out to me, one in specific was by John Piper in which he dealt with, as he put it, "the echo and insufficiency of hell". I want to briefly give u a bit of what I took away from the message and encourage you all to make time to listen to these messages yourself!
A. Hell: The truth, The echo
(Revelation 14:9-11 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.")
-Here we see five truths about hell
1. It is eternal
2. The suffering/torment of the people there
3. The consciousness of the people while suffering
4. The God-inflicted wrath (Matthew 8:12)
5. It is just, righteous and right
-God is the consitution, He has nobody to obey, there is nothing outside of Him to measure Him by
-Nobody will be in hell who does not deserve to be there (Romans 2:5, 1:18, and 3:5)
-God's unwaveing allegiance to uphold the value of what is infinitely valuable- HIS OWN GLORY
-Hell therefore is just
-Hell is meant to serve as an echo of the value of the glory of God
-Three hours of agony on a cross endured eternity in hell for millions and millions
B. The Insufficiency of Hell
-You can't scare someone into heaven, what cuts people to the heart is the tenderness and the graciousness of a Christ ready to save
-In Luke 5:1-10 we read of Peter's response to grace...where does his abhorence to himself come from? From a love for God's holiness.
-Genuine Gospel sorrow for sin is a sorrow for not having holiness
- True repentance is awakened by a delight in God and longing for His holiness...seeing how beautiful and amazing it is
-It is falling in love with all that God is for us in Jesus
-Hell can't produce satisfaction in God and can't produce repentance and can't save so it is therefore insufficient
-Hell scares people in the right direction only
DON'T LET THE FEAR OF HELL BE THE ENDPOINT OF REPENTANCE!
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