“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7)
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:12-13)
After finishing my 58th year on this planet I am profoundly convinced than ever of one great truth: I AM A GREAT SINNER AND CHRIST IS A GREAT SAVIOR! What does that mean in how I live my life if I really believe that about myself? I read a statement by John Newton this week that deeply and profoundly moved me to fall on my knees and ask hard questions of my soul as I live in relationship with flawed people like me.
"[The 'wretch' who has been saved by grace] believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of Spirit. Humble under a sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others."
If what I believe about myself as a flawed sinner who has a great savior and who lives upon the grace and pardoning love of my Lord is true; than is there any more important thing in my relationships with flawed people than forgiving and forbearing? That is what Paul seems to think in Colossians 2:13, "...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive"
Oh how much grace given, mercy shown, patience expressed flawed people like you and me should be living in such a way that in grace, mercy, and love we make allowances for the weaknesses and ignorance of others and takes the kindest perspective towards them whenever possible. Why? On what basis? Because God is that way to you. Oh how I desire to be a person who delights to make allowances for the weaknesses of others, knowing how constantly both God and man have made allowances for me!
I love the phrase "habitual tenderness" made by John Newton to describe the way a believer should live. In writing to a friend he describes the believer's life:
"He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him a habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit. The effect of this amazement is tenderness toward others…Humble under a sense of much forgiveness to himself; he finds it easy to forgive others."
Oh Christian your relationships with others and your patience, faithfulness, obedience, and effectiveness is directly tied to the cross. We are saved by the grace of the cross of Christ, we live by the grace from the cross of Christ, and we therefore, must give to others the grace that comes from the cross of Christ. This means, God has forgiven me, so I can forgive others. God has been patient with me, so I can be patient with others. God’s grace is changing me, so I can trust that He will change others. God has been lovingly patient with me, so I can be more patient with my brothers and sister.
We're all struggling with life's problems. And isn't that what we all want from others?This is the rule our Lord Jesus gave us: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12). I would take it even deeper in light of the cross: Do unto others as Christ has done to you! Every one of us needs and longs to be forgiven by others and for their patience towards our flaws. Probably all of us should have a big sign hanging around our neck that reads, “Be patient with me; God’s not finished with me yet.” C.H. Spurgeon said, "If you are tempted to lose patience with your fellowmen, stop and think how patient God has been with you."
George Elliot once wrote,
"Oh, that my tongue might so possess The accent of His tenderness That every word I breathe should bless For those who mourn, a word of cheer; A word of hope for those who fear; And love to all men, far and near. Oh, that is might be said of me, "Surely their speech betrayeth thee as friend of Christ of Galilee!"
It is truly possible for every Christian to be forgiving, forbearing, and patient towards others. It has nothing to do with personality and temperament and everything to do with the grace of the triune Godhead working mightily in us. Colossians 1:11, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Paul is praying for that grace to operate within our souls so that we are "...forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive" (Colossians 2:13) and loving each other "because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19)
Forgiveness and forbearance are evidences of an inner strength that is not supported by outward things like people or circumstances. Paul is praying for something that only God can give. Paul is praying for God to do something for us. Today you can be forgiving and forbearing as a gift of grace from the blessed triune God: From God the Father, who is kind, merciful, gracious, forgiving, and forbearing towards sinners like us. From Jesus Christ the Son, who came as our gentle, forgiving, and forbearing Savior, putting up with offenses on every side and enduring such a contradiction of sinners. From the Holy Spirit who brings us the fruit of the Spirit, which above all is love, produces forgiveness and forbearance towards others.
Jesus says in John 15:8. “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (forgiveness and forbearance) and so prove to be my disciples”. Oh how essential is the work of the Spirit in our lives for us to be seen as forgiving and forbearing in our relationships!
I do not see how anybody could know who and what they are without Christ and not treat others with kindness, patience, and mercy. If you are a hard person, you do not properly know what has happened to you or you have forgotten. You are not duly feeling the wonder that you are saved, forgiven, accepted.
May you the next few days dwell on all the mercy and forbearance that you have been shown by God and others this past year. Reflect that you are doing far better than you deserve. Marvel on all that this implies about your relationship with Jesus both now and forever. It will soften you towards others and before God.
Pastor Bill
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME THIS NEW YEAR!
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is"Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV
There are three things that always make me think about the preciousness of time: death, illness or injury, and the New Year. I lost three friends this year to death. All three loses have reminded me that someday I too would have my day of my death.
Life is short and so very fragile isn’t it? Death,loss, and illness remind us of that fact. Changing the calendar to a New Year also has a way of reminding me of how short life is. The clock of life never stops to give you a time out and stay 21 or 39 (as much as we’d like it to!); it just keeps ticking toward the final buzzer.
TIME IS VERY PRECIOUS! Time is a taker. Once past, it never returns. How it’s spent determines the satisfaction and significance of a life. Time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Every morning God makes deposits into your bank of time-of 86,400 seconds which represent 1,440 minutes which, of course, equal 24 hours each day. How do you use the time that God deposits? In a lifetime (72 years) we spend on the average 21 years sleeping, 14 years working, 7 years in the bathroom (I’m not sure if this is averaging men, women, or both because I would double that if its gals!), 6 years eating, 6 years traveling, 5 years waiting in line, 4 years learning, 3 years in meetings, 2 years on the phone, 1 year searching for things lost, 8 months opening up junk mail, 6 months waiting on red lights, and couples talk 4 minutes per day.
Now listen to this, if a person went to church every Sunday, but also went to morning class before church and 1 midweek bible study per week, and devoted 5 minutes a day to prayer and bible reading, he would only have spent 1.9 years of his life for his soul! (Ouch!) When we think of time and how we use it in this way, it doesn’t amount to much. And seen in the light of eternity it is but a fleeting moment. Surely God means for our minutes on earth to count for something significant.
WHY IS TIME SO PRECIOUS?
Do you understand the preciousness of your time? The importance of time has been summarized poetically: Time is so precious. I have only just a minute. Just a tiny little minute only sixty seconds in it. Forced upon me. Can't refuse it. Didn't seek it, didn't choose it, I must suffer if I loose it, Give account if I abuse it. Just a tiny little minute, But eternity is in it. Time is precious because:
1. Time is very short
“What is your life? “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14). A little time, says James-just a little time. Your time is short. And keep in mind that you will disappear. You will be gone and life will go on without you. It is but as a moment to eternity. You and I will exist forever-either as friends of God on His terms, or enemies-on our own terms-which will be proven in this life. And life is short, it is a vapor. Two seconds and we will be gone. Time is so short, and the work which we have to do in it is so great, that we have none of it to spare.
2. We are uncertain of how much time remains for us.
We know that it is very short, but we know not how short. We do not know not how much of it remains, whether a year, or several years, or only a month, a week, or a day. We are every day uncertain whether that day will not be the last, or whether we are even to have the whole day. The only sure time we have is this moment. You don’t know whether you will be alive at this time tomorrow, let alone on next New Year’s Day.
3. When it is past, time cannot be recovered.
There are many things which men possess which if they part with, they can obtain them again. If a man have parted with something which he had, not knowing the worth of it, or the need he should have of it; he often can regain it. But it is not so with respect to time. When once that is gone, it is gone forever; impossible to recover.
4. Because God values time
There are two Greek words for “time” that are relevant to this passage. One is “chronos” from which we get our word chronology, chronicles, and chronic among others. We might define it as clock or calendar time, the continuous time that is measured in years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. That is mans view of time. But then there is God’s view of time. The Greek word used in our text is “kairos” which can be translated as “time” or “opportunity”, means an allocated, fixed, measured, and distributed time. It literally can be translated “the time”. It means that time is a gift from God. From God’s perspective your time isn’t “chronos”, it is “kairos”. It is not simply a commodity at our disposal but rather than a daily gift of grace dispensed from God.
The giver of time is God Himself and that places a far greater value on time. It means that we are not to let time rule us, nor see ourselves as rulers over our time; but instead, to see that we are the given time to be responsible stewards over. “My times are in Your hand" (Psalm 31:15). “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Cor. 4:2) Time is a talent given us by God. Our life is appointed for purpose; therefore he will, at the end, call us to an account. Oh, to be a faithful steward of the breath God has given me! “Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”. Surely God means for our minutes on earth to count for something significant.
5. Because the days are evil
Paul doesn’t call us to action because the days are short, but because the days are evil. I fear that the American church is blissfully drifting downstream with many evil currents in our day. As God chided Israel through the prophet Hosea, “Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know it; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know it” (Hosea 7:9). The times are evil times and there is the devil is at work robbing us of our time. He is called by Jesus in John 10:10 the thief, the liar, and the destroyer. The devil according to Jesus is a thief of time, a liar about time, and a destroyer of time. He has switched the price tags on the things of value and made them worthless and has made the things of little or no value valuable. He would have us invest our time in worthless things of no eternal value. He would have us to waste our lives. A wasted life is a life spent on the unimportant, short term fixes, the convenient, easy, shallow, and superficial, the tyranny of the urgent, trivial diversions, living for comfort, ease, health, wealth, prosperity, and security. A wasted life is spending time only in busy worldly pursuits, neglecting their souls.
The days are evil. Time is too precious for you to allow it to be robbed and killed. You can't allow your time to be killed without hurting yourselves because your time is your life. The way you spend your time is the way you spend your life. If time is so precious, how are we to look at time?
BE WISE, UNDERSTANDING, AND THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME
Paul speaks about time by first connecting us with his previous thoughts with the word “then” or some translations say “therefore”. Paul has made a tremendous statements in the preceding verses about our identity- as “ dearly loved children” (v.1-2), “light in the Lord” (v.8a) and “children of the light” (v.8b) and how we are to live in the light of that identity with purpose- “be imitators of Christ” (v.1), “walking as children of the light”, “trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord”, and “taking no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but expose them” (v.8b, 10-11). So since God has enlightened us and given us identity as His children and given us purpose as His lights in the world, in verse 15 he exhorts us to conduct ourselves with thoughtfulness, foresight, and care rather than living thoughtless, aimlessly, and carelessly- walking wisely instead of foolishly. Than in verse 17 he admonishes again to “not be foolish, but understanding the will of the Lord”. A fool is someone who is careless and pays no heed to his life. He is one without reason, stubborn, reckless and careless with his thinking. The way that we live in wisdom here is by having God’s view of time - “understanding the will of the Lord” and living our lives thoughtfully and wisely in light of that view- “making the best use of our time.”
HOW DO THE WISE USE THEIR TIME?-THEY MAKE THE MOST OF IT! "making the best use of the time"(verse 16)
The wise and discerning Christian life is meant to be an exciting adventure of expecting great things from God because God is daily opening up the circumstances and the opportunity before us to do great things for God. This is the time for it. The decisive time, the determinative time, the appropriate time. God gives us opportunity and time with a purpose. Do you recognize this? Do you realize that the Lord gives you time and opportunity with an aim, with a purpose? Our responsibility is to make the most of the opportunities that God gives us and attempt great things for God: to see these opportunities then to seize them. The phrase making the most of can also be translated as “buying back, buying out, or buying up.” It conveys the idea of, an almost greedy attitude toward making the best of time -perhaps in a figure of a collector who buys, say, every antique clock he can get his hands on.
"Buy up the time" for it is a most precious commodity, We are called to buy up and buy back what the thief would take. Just as Christ redeemed us from a futile existence and gave us a new life, so now we have been rescued from the meaninglessness and the futility of the clock and calendar and have the privilege of using our time for the Lord’s purposes. The world ticks to the rhythm of sin, but God wants us to reclaim time for Him and His glory. See the very hours of our earthly lives as a precious commodity, a resource that has eternal potential. Christians can buy back time that otherwise would be wasted in such selfish living and use it for eternity.
We all have enough time to do what God wants us to do. Nothing is worth more than this day. If you could go back and change the past, how would you change how you have used your time? The things you regret not giving more time to are precisely the things that you should begin giving more time to. Opportunities may have passed you by which will never be recovered. But do not let the opportunities of today pass you by. Do not wait for tomorrow. Begin today to seize the opportunities. Let us, spend our TIME about the things of God. Let us spend our TIME with those who are about the things of God. Let us gather together every TIME the saints gather. Let us spend less TIME doing unprofitable things and more TIME in things that edify. Let us not waste our TIME in pursuit of material nor temporal things, but use our TIME pursuing things eternal. Let us take more TIME to read, study, pray, worship, fellowship; Yes, LET US REDEEM THE TIME!
The apostle said in another place, "And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11). So, beloved brethren and sisters "LET US REDEEM THE TIME!" Time is important, not because time is money, but because time is life. Let us walk in the wisdom and spirit of David Brainerd, “Oh, that I might not loiter on my heavenly journey… O I longed to fill the remaining moments all for God! …I want to do something for God. ..Oh, how sweet it is to be spent and worn out for God!"
Sunday, December 18, 2011
THE INCALCULABLE RIPPLE AFFECT OF A GODLY LIFE
This past week I have reacquainted myself with the biographies of 19th century missionary to the cannibals in Vanuatu, John Paton; the great man of faith, George Mueller; and the prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon. God has reminded me that I am not the first to face the things that I have faced in my life. I am so thankful for the healing of history and the ripple effect of the lives of others upon us.
So many times I have slipped into the abyss of the present. You cannot know yourself, nor your times, nor your God if you only know the present. I bless God for history and biographies. I have turned many times to others and oh how the ripple effect of their lives have helped me to live my present circumstance with perseverance, faithfulness, passion,obedience, wholeheartedness, and with all my might.
Just as others this week have had an incalculable effect upon me, I want you to think about the effect that you can have on others. As a kid, I lived close to a running stream in a forest. One of my favorite pastimes was skipping stones across the flat, slow moving surface of the stream. Each time the pebble would land inevitably, ripples would flow from the impact of the stone. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. Every moment of your life is a divine appointment to influence the world. Every conversation is a chance to change a life. And every choice you make impacts another choice, which in turn impacts another, rippling through your life and the lives of those around you for the glory of God.
The ripple effect of your life can be incalculable. I thought about this often when I visited Englad three years ago. One day I ate my lunch in Bunhill Field’s Cemetery in London and there on my right was the tomb of John Bunyan and behind me was John Owen and to my right was Susanna Wesley, and just across the street was the tomb of her son John Wesley. All these precious saints have made incalculable impacts on others for hundreds of years by the ripple effect from the pebbles of their precious lives.
I think of David Brainerd. I love this man! His life was a short life: twenty-nine years, five months and nineteen days. Only eight of those years as a believer, and only four of those as a missionary, and less than a year to see any fruit in his attempts to reach the Indians. He died in obscurity in Jonathan Edwards home. Two years after Brainerd died, Jonathan Edwards took his diaries and published them as a Life of Brainerd in 1749. His diaries are still in print today.
Oh the ripple effect of this man’s life! John Wesley said, "Let every preacher read carefully over the 'Life of Brainerd". It was written of Henry Martyn that "perusing the life of David Brainerd, his soul was filled with a holy emulation of that extraordinary man; and after deep consideration and fervent prayer, he was at length fixed in a resolution to imitate his example". William Carey regarded Edwards' Life of Brainerd as a sacred text. Robert Morrison and Robert McCheyne of Scotland and John Mills of America and Frederick Schwartz of Germany and David Livingston of England and Andrew Murray of South Africa and Jim Elliot of modern America looked upon Brainerd with a kind of awe and draw power from him the way they and countless others did.
David Brainerd had a profound effect upon Jonathan Edwards. Edwards' bears his own testimony:
"I would conclude my observations on the merciful circumstances of Mr. Brainerd's death without acknowledging with thankfulness the gracious dispensation of Providence to me and my family in so ordering that he ... should be cast hither to my house, in his last sickness, and should die here: So that we had opportunity for much acquaintance and conversation with him, and to show him kindness in such circumstances, and to see his dying behavior, to hear his dying speeches, to receive his dying counsels, and to have the benefit of his dying prayers."
Gideon Hawley, another missionary protege of Jonathan Edwards spoke for hundreds when he wrote about his struggles as a missionary in 1753, "I need, greatly need something more than humane (human or natural) to support me. I read my Bible and Mr. Brainerd's Life, the only books I brought with me, and from them have a little support."
John Piper says of Brainerd’s Life;
“Through this Life the impact of Brainerd on the church has been incalculable, because beyond all the famous missionaries who tell us that they have been sustained and inspired by Brainerd's Life how many countless other unknown faithful servants must there be who found strength to press on from Brainerd's testimony!”
In the scriptures we see the ripple effect of the apostle Paul’s life:
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of all brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14).
Do you hear what Paul is saying? Imprisoned, chained, unheard, uncertain, he looks back at all the trials of his life and says, "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel."
Think of it! All of the frustration, all of the delay, all of the physical suffering and Paul sees his circumstances not as curtailing his mission but for the advancement of his mission!. Paul means to say that his imprisonment—which seemed to be a setback—actually served to advance the gospel in Rome. Paul tells us how the ripple effect of his own imprisonment produced two wonderful and extraordinary outcomes. The gospel has advanced in two ways:
1. It advanced the preaching of the gospel.
Paul says that his imprisonment gave him an opportunity to witness to the whole Praetorian Guard. Paul realized that he was not only chained to soldiers, they were chained to him! Paul had a "captive audience". So Paul experienced a shuffle of soldiers chained to him 24 hours a day. Since they changed guards every six hours, this meant Paul had a new audience four times a day, 28 times a week, and over 2900 times in two years talking to these men about Jesus Christ and living by faith in Him before them. The very chain which Roman discipline riveted on the prisoners arm secured to his side a hearer to whom Paul would tell the story." These soldiers thought they were guarding a prisoner of Rome, but soon found that they had inadvertently enrolled in a course of systematic theology. And apparently, his witness was effective. Paul remarks that because of his imprisonment, the gospel of Jesus Christ was known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard. It is assumed (since he sends greetings from those in Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22) that the gospel message had even worked its way into the Emperor's home.
2. It produced Bold Witness in other Christians
God used Paul's situation to "light a fire" under some of the other believers. Just as reading those three biographies that I mentioned lit a fire under me! The ripple effect of Paul’s witness gave the church confidence and boldness. The people of God were set on fire for the Lord, and all this did not happen through Paul's mighty preaching in Rome. He was in prison chained to an unbelieving soldier, but the effect of his life in jail impacted the whole congregation who were all out of jail. His chains led to their freedom!
Have you ever thought about the effect of your life on others in this way? Many people today have been disappointed because of being let down, abandoned, failed by other Christians who have not trusted or walked with God when times got tough. That is why I encourage you all to read Christian biographies!
What a breadth of fresh air to see someone committed, persevering and trusting in God like Paul; loving, serving, caring, sacrificing no matter what! When you’re courageous, others are inspired by your courage. When you are suffering under tremendous adversity and keep on praising God and having joy, the ripple effect is contagious in convicting others and inspiring them as well. When you choose to trust God in a trying circumstance, others see your faith and are encouraged by it. Faith can be caught. Your example can be more encouraging than anything you say. When the church saw how Paul was being in prison it challenged them to confront their difficulties and speak up for Christ whatever the cost. If the apostle could do so much from a prison cell how much more should they be accomplishing with their freedom. New courage and boldness was given to the church.
Let me share with you something that came home to me about the ripple effect when I went to Northwood cemetery outside of London and saw Charles Spurgeon’s grave. read on the side of the tomb his words “For since by faith I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply; redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die. Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing of thy power to save, when this poor stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.”
Then on the front of the tomb there was an open bible with the words of 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
That day I read those words of that dear pastor and servant of God I was moved to recommit my life to Christ and his Kingdom and to preach the gospel of Christ and grace and to serve the Lord till my dying day. The pebble of Spurgeon thrown in the pond of history 110 years ago has created a ripple effect that reached out to touch me on a cold, rainy, isolated evening and I will never be the same.
John Piper gives this illustration of the ripple effect one life can have:
"A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
The stone of David Brainerd or of the apostle Paul have made a huge vast ripple effects on countless souls. Oh brothers and sisters you don’t know the effects that flow outward from the pebble of you and your soul falling in the pond of those all around you. If Christ stirred Paul and Paul stirred pagan guards and the Christians in Philippi, if Christ stirred Brainerd and Brainerd stirred Edwards and countless missionaries, and if in reading this he has stirred you, than it is obvious the waves are in motion and the waves are going onward to you, in you, and flowing out through each one of you.
Make your life count. Don't waste your life. May the ripple effect of the pebbles of your drop to become waves that reach the ends of the earth and roll on for centuries and into eternity.
Pastor Bill
So many times I have slipped into the abyss of the present. You cannot know yourself, nor your times, nor your God if you only know the present. I bless God for history and biographies. I have turned many times to others and oh how the ripple effect of their lives have helped me to live my present circumstance with perseverance, faithfulness, passion,obedience, wholeheartedness, and with all my might.
Just as others this week have had an incalculable effect upon me, I want you to think about the effect that you can have on others. As a kid, I lived close to a running stream in a forest. One of my favorite pastimes was skipping stones across the flat, slow moving surface of the stream. Each time the pebble would land inevitably, ripples would flow from the impact of the stone. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. Every moment of your life is a divine appointment to influence the world. Every conversation is a chance to change a life. And every choice you make impacts another choice, which in turn impacts another, rippling through your life and the lives of those around you for the glory of God.
The ripple effect of your life can be incalculable. I thought about this often when I visited Englad three years ago. One day I ate my lunch in Bunhill Field’s Cemetery in London and there on my right was the tomb of John Bunyan and behind me was John Owen and to my right was Susanna Wesley, and just across the street was the tomb of her son John Wesley. All these precious saints have made incalculable impacts on others for hundreds of years by the ripple effect from the pebbles of their precious lives.
I think of David Brainerd. I love this man! His life was a short life: twenty-nine years, five months and nineteen days. Only eight of those years as a believer, and only four of those as a missionary, and less than a year to see any fruit in his attempts to reach the Indians. He died in obscurity in Jonathan Edwards home. Two years after Brainerd died, Jonathan Edwards took his diaries and published them as a Life of Brainerd in 1749. His diaries are still in print today.
Oh the ripple effect of this man’s life! John Wesley said, "Let every preacher read carefully over the 'Life of Brainerd". It was written of Henry Martyn that "perusing the life of David Brainerd, his soul was filled with a holy emulation of that extraordinary man; and after deep consideration and fervent prayer, he was at length fixed in a resolution to imitate his example". William Carey regarded Edwards' Life of Brainerd as a sacred text. Robert Morrison and Robert McCheyne of Scotland and John Mills of America and Frederick Schwartz of Germany and David Livingston of England and Andrew Murray of South Africa and Jim Elliot of modern America looked upon Brainerd with a kind of awe and draw power from him the way they and countless others did.
David Brainerd had a profound effect upon Jonathan Edwards. Edwards' bears his own testimony:
"I would conclude my observations on the merciful circumstances of Mr. Brainerd's death without acknowledging with thankfulness the gracious dispensation of Providence to me and my family in so ordering that he ... should be cast hither to my house, in his last sickness, and should die here: So that we had opportunity for much acquaintance and conversation with him, and to show him kindness in such circumstances, and to see his dying behavior, to hear his dying speeches, to receive his dying counsels, and to have the benefit of his dying prayers."
Gideon Hawley, another missionary protege of Jonathan Edwards spoke for hundreds when he wrote about his struggles as a missionary in 1753, "I need, greatly need something more than humane (human or natural) to support me. I read my Bible and Mr. Brainerd's Life, the only books I brought with me, and from them have a little support."
John Piper says of Brainerd’s Life;
“Through this Life the impact of Brainerd on the church has been incalculable, because beyond all the famous missionaries who tell us that they have been sustained and inspired by Brainerd's Life how many countless other unknown faithful servants must there be who found strength to press on from Brainerd's testimony!”
In the scriptures we see the ripple effect of the apostle Paul’s life:
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of all brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14).
Do you hear what Paul is saying? Imprisoned, chained, unheard, uncertain, he looks back at all the trials of his life and says, "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel."
Think of it! All of the frustration, all of the delay, all of the physical suffering and Paul sees his circumstances not as curtailing his mission but for the advancement of his mission!. Paul means to say that his imprisonment—which seemed to be a setback—actually served to advance the gospel in Rome. Paul tells us how the ripple effect of his own imprisonment produced two wonderful and extraordinary outcomes. The gospel has advanced in two ways:
1. It advanced the preaching of the gospel.
Paul says that his imprisonment gave him an opportunity to witness to the whole Praetorian Guard. Paul realized that he was not only chained to soldiers, they were chained to him! Paul had a "captive audience". So Paul experienced a shuffle of soldiers chained to him 24 hours a day. Since they changed guards every six hours, this meant Paul had a new audience four times a day, 28 times a week, and over 2900 times in two years talking to these men about Jesus Christ and living by faith in Him before them. The very chain which Roman discipline riveted on the prisoners arm secured to his side a hearer to whom Paul would tell the story." These soldiers thought they were guarding a prisoner of Rome, but soon found that they had inadvertently enrolled in a course of systematic theology. And apparently, his witness was effective. Paul remarks that because of his imprisonment, the gospel of Jesus Christ was known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard. It is assumed (since he sends greetings from those in Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22) that the gospel message had even worked its way into the Emperor's home.
2. It produced Bold Witness in other Christians
God used Paul's situation to "light a fire" under some of the other believers. Just as reading those three biographies that I mentioned lit a fire under me! The ripple effect of Paul’s witness gave the church confidence and boldness. The people of God were set on fire for the Lord, and all this did not happen through Paul's mighty preaching in Rome. He was in prison chained to an unbelieving soldier, but the effect of his life in jail impacted the whole congregation who were all out of jail. His chains led to their freedom!
Have you ever thought about the effect of your life on others in this way? Many people today have been disappointed because of being let down, abandoned, failed by other Christians who have not trusted or walked with God when times got tough. That is why I encourage you all to read Christian biographies!
What a breadth of fresh air to see someone committed, persevering and trusting in God like Paul; loving, serving, caring, sacrificing no matter what! When you’re courageous, others are inspired by your courage. When you are suffering under tremendous adversity and keep on praising God and having joy, the ripple effect is contagious in convicting others and inspiring them as well. When you choose to trust God in a trying circumstance, others see your faith and are encouraged by it. Faith can be caught. Your example can be more encouraging than anything you say. When the church saw how Paul was being in prison it challenged them to confront their difficulties and speak up for Christ whatever the cost. If the apostle could do so much from a prison cell how much more should they be accomplishing with their freedom. New courage and boldness was given to the church.
Let me share with you something that came home to me about the ripple effect when I went to Northwood cemetery outside of London and saw Charles Spurgeon’s grave. read on the side of the tomb his words “For since by faith I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply; redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die. Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing of thy power to save, when this poor stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.”
Then on the front of the tomb there was an open bible with the words of 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
That day I read those words of that dear pastor and servant of God I was moved to recommit my life to Christ and his Kingdom and to preach the gospel of Christ and grace and to serve the Lord till my dying day. The pebble of Spurgeon thrown in the pond of history 110 years ago has created a ripple effect that reached out to touch me on a cold, rainy, isolated evening and I will never be the same.
John Piper gives this illustration of the ripple effect one life can have:
"A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
The stone of David Brainerd or of the apostle Paul have made a huge vast ripple effects on countless souls. Oh brothers and sisters you don’t know the effects that flow outward from the pebble of you and your soul falling in the pond of those all around you. If Christ stirred Paul and Paul stirred pagan guards and the Christians in Philippi, if Christ stirred Brainerd and Brainerd stirred Edwards and countless missionaries, and if in reading this he has stirred you, than it is obvious the waves are in motion and the waves are going onward to you, in you, and flowing out through each one of you.
Make your life count. Don't waste your life. May the ripple effect of the pebbles of your drop to become waves that reach the ends of the earth and roll on for centuries and into eternity.
Pastor Bill
Friday, December 9, 2011
LIVING ON HOPE
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ESV
It is something as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb, as essential as air is to a jumbo jet. It’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s a power that keeps us going in the toughest times of life. It’s a power that energizes us with confidence, excitement, and anticipation as we look to the future. It gives us a reason to live. It takes obstacles and transforms them into possibilities. What am I talking about? HOPE!
It’s been said that a person can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but you can’t live 4 seconds without hope. Tertullian said, "Hope is patience with the lamp lit." Hope is holding on when things around you begin to slip away. Hope is praying expectantly when there seemingly are no answers. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan tells of a man whose shop had been burned during the disastrous Chicago fire. He arrived at the ruins the next morning carrying a table. He set the table amid the charred debris and above it placed this optimistic sign: "Everything lost except wife, children, and hope. Business will be resumed as usual tomorrow morning."
Many men become bitter toward life because of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. Many quit. Others have taken their own lives. What makes the difference in the outcome? Talent? No! The only difference between those who threw in the towel and quit and those who used their energy to rebuild and kept going, is found in the word hope. What does hope do for mankind? Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest. Hope motivates when discouragement comes .Hope energizes when the body is tired. Hope sweetens while the bitterness bites. Hope sings when all melodies are gone. Hope believes when the evidence is eliminated. Hope listens for answers when no one is talking. Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping. Hope endures hardship when no one is caring. Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing. Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking. Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging. Hope dares to give when no one is sharing. Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.
There is nothing to do but bury a man when his hopes are gone. Losing hope usually precedes loss of life itself. You don't need a better environment; you just need more hope. It's the one thing in your life that you cannot do without! Hope is that basic to life. I have hope today. “Where there is no hope for the future, there is no power in the present.” It is an unshakable hope. It is a hope based on something eternal and all-powerful. It is a hope founded on good evidence.
If you are without hope today, or if you have a loved one who is without hope, there are links for hope you need to know about and take into your life..I am thankful to Sam Crabtree for his article that has influenced this blog.
Three Ways in Which We Use the Word "Hope"
We use the word "hope" in at least three different ways.
1. Hope is the desire for something good in the future.
The children might say, "I hope daddy gets home early tonight so we can play kickball after supper before his meeting." In other words they desire for him to get home early so that they can experience this good thing, namely, playing together after supper.
2. Hope is the good thing in the future that we are desiring.
We say, "Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely." In other words, Jim's safe arrival is the object of our hope.
3. Hope is the reason why our hope might indeed come to pass.
We say, "A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time." In other words, the tailwind is the reason we may in fact achieve the future good that we desire. It's our only hope.
So hope is used in three senses:
a.a desire for something good in the future,
b.the thing in the future that we desire, and
c.the basis reason for thinking that our desire may indeed be fulfilled
The Distinctive Biblical Meaning of Hope
All three of these uses are found in the Bible. But the most important feature of biblical hope is not present in any of these ordinary uses of the word hope. In fact the distinctive meaning of hope in Scripture is almost the opposite of our ordinary usage.
I don't mean that in Scripture hope is a desire for something bad (instead of something good). And I don't mean that in Scripture hope is rejection of good (instead of desire for it). It is not the opposite in those senses.
It is the opposite in this sense: ordinarily when we use the word hope, we express uncertainty rather than certainty.
"I hope daddy gets home early," means, "I don't have any certainty that daddy will get home on time, I only desire that he does." "Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely," means, "We don't know if he will or not, but that is our desire." "A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time," means, "A good tailwind would bring us our desired goal, but we can't be sure we will get one."
Ordinarily, when we express hope, we are expressing uncertainty. But this is NOT the distinctive biblical meaning of hope. And the main thing I want to do this morning is show you from Scripture that biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future, but rather, biblical hope is:
A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.
Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done.
1. The Link Between Gratitude and Hope
Gratefulness looks back. Hope looks forward with desire and reasonable confidence and expectation. By looking back, gratitude fuels forward-looking hope. As with over-matched ball teams that are behind late in the game, hanging their heads without oomph, without hope for the future, there isn’t power for the present. Persons who tend not to be grateful tend not to be hopeful.
2. The Link Between Hopelessness and Misplaced Trust
Hopelessness is a curse; it’s the curse of trusting in man or in anything other than God and his perfect wisdom and timing. Marshall Faulk wrote, "There are no hopeless situations, there are only men and women who have grown hopeless about them.” Despair looks at immediate realities; hope sees ultimate realities. Some see a hopeless end, but others see an Endless Hope. Psalm 33:17, The war horse is a false hope for salvation. . . How is hope sustained? Answer: trust the right thing, God. Hope believes that God is not done. Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not the feeling we will have. That is, hope is the (up) feeling we have that the (down) feeling we have is not permanent.
3. The Link Suffering to Hope
Romans 5:2–5, "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
The goal of everything, including suffering, is hope. Many lose hope during tribulation, but God intends for tribulation to produce hope… through faith. How does one grow in hope during tribulation? Answer: God’s love is poured into our hearts (through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us).
4. The Link Jesus to Your Hope
Jesus is our hope. In the baby Jesus, God was fulfilling the hopes of his people in a way that they did not recognize. We may not see it now, but God has already acted for us, and God is working even now behind the scenes to bring about his good will. The key is to remember Jesus, who knows your situation, and whose Spirit in us is a down payment of glory yet to come. God is not done.
5. The Link your hope to the God is the origin and object of hope.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13)
God is the One who gives hope. He is the source; He is the origin of hope. He is the object of our hope and He grants His people peace and joy as they believe. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” The God of hope is the one who fills you with joy and with peace.
6. The Link Your Hope to the God Who Is Not Done
"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God." Psalm 42:5
The best sermon you preach yourself this week may be only three words long: HOPE IN GOD! John Piper
God was not done when Noah was in the boat, Sarah was barren, Joseph was in prison, Moses was on the run from Pharaoh, the children of Israel were pinned against the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho blocked possession of the promised land, Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, Samson was seduced by a woman and blinded, Ruth was widowed, David was mocked as a boy facing a giant, Job’s children were all killed, government officials persecuted Daniel, Jonah was in the belly of a fish, Paul couldn’t get rid of this thorn, and Jesus was put in the grave. God is not done! Hope is not undone, because he is not done!
In your life hope is like a reservoir of emotional strength. If put down, look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to return good for evil. Without hope you have no power to absorb the wrong and walk in love, and you sink into self-pity or self-justification. If you experience a setback in your planning—get sick, or things don't go the way you want—you look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to keep going and not give up. If you face a temptation to be dishonest, to steal, to lie, or to lust, Look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to hold fast to the way of righteousness, and deny yourself some brief, unsatisfying pleasure
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus'blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand….
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”
Holding on to hope,
Pastor Bill
It is something as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb, as essential as air is to a jumbo jet. It’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s a power that keeps us going in the toughest times of life. It’s a power that energizes us with confidence, excitement, and anticipation as we look to the future. It gives us a reason to live. It takes obstacles and transforms them into possibilities. What am I talking about? HOPE!
It’s been said that a person can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but you can’t live 4 seconds without hope. Tertullian said, "Hope is patience with the lamp lit." Hope is holding on when things around you begin to slip away. Hope is praying expectantly when there seemingly are no answers. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan tells of a man whose shop had been burned during the disastrous Chicago fire. He arrived at the ruins the next morning carrying a table. He set the table amid the charred debris and above it placed this optimistic sign: "Everything lost except wife, children, and hope. Business will be resumed as usual tomorrow morning."
Many men become bitter toward life because of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. Many quit. Others have taken their own lives. What makes the difference in the outcome? Talent? No! The only difference between those who threw in the towel and quit and those who used their energy to rebuild and kept going, is found in the word hope. What does hope do for mankind? Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest. Hope motivates when discouragement comes .Hope energizes when the body is tired. Hope sweetens while the bitterness bites. Hope sings when all melodies are gone. Hope believes when the evidence is eliminated. Hope listens for answers when no one is talking. Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping. Hope endures hardship when no one is caring. Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing. Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking. Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging. Hope dares to give when no one is sharing. Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.
There is nothing to do but bury a man when his hopes are gone. Losing hope usually precedes loss of life itself. You don't need a better environment; you just need more hope. It's the one thing in your life that you cannot do without! Hope is that basic to life. I have hope today. “Where there is no hope for the future, there is no power in the present.” It is an unshakable hope. It is a hope based on something eternal and all-powerful. It is a hope founded on good evidence.
If you are without hope today, or if you have a loved one who is without hope, there are links for hope you need to know about and take into your life..I am thankful to Sam Crabtree for his article that has influenced this blog.
Three Ways in Which We Use the Word "Hope"
We use the word "hope" in at least three different ways.
1. Hope is the desire for something good in the future.
The children might say, "I hope daddy gets home early tonight so we can play kickball after supper before his meeting." In other words they desire for him to get home early so that they can experience this good thing, namely, playing together after supper.
2. Hope is the good thing in the future that we are desiring.
We say, "Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely." In other words, Jim's safe arrival is the object of our hope.
3. Hope is the reason why our hope might indeed come to pass.
We say, "A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time." In other words, the tailwind is the reason we may in fact achieve the future good that we desire. It's our only hope.
So hope is used in three senses:
a.a desire for something good in the future,
b.the thing in the future that we desire, and
c.the basis reason for thinking that our desire may indeed be fulfilled
The Distinctive Biblical Meaning of Hope
All three of these uses are found in the Bible. But the most important feature of biblical hope is not present in any of these ordinary uses of the word hope. In fact the distinctive meaning of hope in Scripture is almost the opposite of our ordinary usage.
I don't mean that in Scripture hope is a desire for something bad (instead of something good). And I don't mean that in Scripture hope is rejection of good (instead of desire for it). It is not the opposite in those senses.
It is the opposite in this sense: ordinarily when we use the word hope, we express uncertainty rather than certainty.
"I hope daddy gets home early," means, "I don't have any certainty that daddy will get home on time, I only desire that he does." "Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely," means, "We don't know if he will or not, but that is our desire." "A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time," means, "A good tailwind would bring us our desired goal, but we can't be sure we will get one."
Ordinarily, when we express hope, we are expressing uncertainty. But this is NOT the distinctive biblical meaning of hope. And the main thing I want to do this morning is show you from Scripture that biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future, but rather, biblical hope is:
A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.
Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done.
1. The Link Between Gratitude and Hope
Gratefulness looks back. Hope looks forward with desire and reasonable confidence and expectation. By looking back, gratitude fuels forward-looking hope. As with over-matched ball teams that are behind late in the game, hanging their heads without oomph, without hope for the future, there isn’t power for the present. Persons who tend not to be grateful tend not to be hopeful.
2. The Link Between Hopelessness and Misplaced Trust
Hopelessness is a curse; it’s the curse of trusting in man or in anything other than God and his perfect wisdom and timing. Marshall Faulk wrote, "There are no hopeless situations, there are only men and women who have grown hopeless about them.” Despair looks at immediate realities; hope sees ultimate realities. Some see a hopeless end, but others see an Endless Hope. Psalm 33:17, The war horse is a false hope for salvation. . . How is hope sustained? Answer: trust the right thing, God. Hope believes that God is not done. Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not the feeling we will have. That is, hope is the (up) feeling we have that the (down) feeling we have is not permanent.
3. The Link Suffering to Hope
Romans 5:2–5, "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
The goal of everything, including suffering, is hope. Many lose hope during tribulation, but God intends for tribulation to produce hope… through faith. How does one grow in hope during tribulation? Answer: God’s love is poured into our hearts (through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us).
4. The Link Jesus to Your Hope
Jesus is our hope. In the baby Jesus, God was fulfilling the hopes of his people in a way that they did not recognize. We may not see it now, but God has already acted for us, and God is working even now behind the scenes to bring about his good will. The key is to remember Jesus, who knows your situation, and whose Spirit in us is a down payment of glory yet to come. God is not done.
5. The Link your hope to the God is the origin and object of hope.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13)
God is the One who gives hope. He is the source; He is the origin of hope. He is the object of our hope and He grants His people peace and joy as they believe. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” The God of hope is the one who fills you with joy and with peace.
6. The Link Your Hope to the God Who Is Not Done
"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God." Psalm 42:5
The best sermon you preach yourself this week may be only three words long: HOPE IN GOD! John Piper
God was not done when Noah was in the boat, Sarah was barren, Joseph was in prison, Moses was on the run from Pharaoh, the children of Israel were pinned against the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho blocked possession of the promised land, Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, Samson was seduced by a woman and blinded, Ruth was widowed, David was mocked as a boy facing a giant, Job’s children were all killed, government officials persecuted Daniel, Jonah was in the belly of a fish, Paul couldn’t get rid of this thorn, and Jesus was put in the grave. God is not done! Hope is not undone, because he is not done!
In your life hope is like a reservoir of emotional strength. If put down, look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to return good for evil. Without hope you have no power to absorb the wrong and walk in love, and you sink into self-pity or self-justification. If you experience a setback in your planning—get sick, or things don't go the way you want—you look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to keep going and not give up. If you face a temptation to be dishonest, to steal, to lie, or to lust, Look to the emotional reservoir of hope for the strength to hold fast to the way of righteousness, and deny yourself some brief, unsatisfying pleasure
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus'blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand….
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”
Holding on to hope,
Pastor Bill
Saturday, December 3, 2011
LOOKING TO JESUS
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)
A teenager had decided to quit high school, saying he was just fed up with it all. His father kept trying to convince him to stay with it. “Son”, he said, “you just can’t quit. All the people who are remembered in history didn’t quit. Thomas Edison, he didn’t quit. Douglas MacArthur, he didn’t quit. Elmo McCringle…” “Who?” the son burst in. “Elmo McCringle”, replied his father. “Who the heck is Elmo McCringle?” asked the son. “See,” the father replied, you don’t remember him. He quit!”
One of the most significant utterances ever to come from the mouth of Jesus was spoken on the cross. In the midst of His grand passion, as He suffered the pangs of the agony of death, Jesus managed to gasp, "It is finished."(John 19:30) That is when Jesus quit life; when His task was finished. Not before. Not until. The work had to be finished.
The Apostle Paul stated it this way: "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God…Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus…I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith " (Acts 20:24; Philippians 3:13-14; 2 Timothy 4:7). So at the end of his life Paul said, "All my life has been like a fight and like a race. Keeping faith has been a struggle. I have fought the good fight and run the race of perseverance." And before he died Paul made clear that this view of his own life was his view of the Christian life everybody is called to live. In 1 Timothy 6:12 he says, "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." And to explain, he said in verse 11, "Flee [the love of money]—flee all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness." Note the two words: "flee" and "pursue"—flee the love of money and all the evils that grow out of it, and pursue faith and love and perseverance. These are the words of war: Flee! Pursue! Paul knows nothing of coasting or casual Christianity. Paul simply does not recognize a Christianity that is not running a race and fighting a fight. Nor does the author of the letter to the Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a race. When you are in a race, it is extremely important where you look. Nothing will throw off your stride or slow you down like looking at your feet or looking at a runner coming up behind you, or looking at the crowd in the grandstands. The Christian race is the same. Some may look too much to themselves, what they are doing, or on others and what they are doing. Some people will focus upon the difficulties and the obstacles along the way. Some will keep looking back at the past, whether losses or better days. Some will keep their eyes upon the goal; the finish line. Where you are looking will determine whether or not you finish the race.
The writer of Hebrews wants to encourage us to look to Jesus. "Looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith."(Hebrews 12:2). He uses the Greek present participle that implies the idea of a constant attention during the race. He exhorts us to focus continually upon Him. Jesus will keep us running and winning. Fixing our eyes on seeing Jesus is what saves us and strengthens us.
Who is He? He is the author and the supreme example of our faith. Jesus has gone through everything we have to face, and by faith, He faced it successfully. Like a pioneer He started and finished the race in triumph! That is why He can help us to succeed! He has gone ahead; he knows what paths to take and what ones to avoid. He is also the perfecter of our faith. He worked to author faith and to perfect faith. He works to begin it and He works to complete it in our lives.
Not only that, but the very Jesus we look to is ever present with you and in you through the Holy Spirit. “I am with you always…” (Matthew28:20). “I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17). Did you know that the Holy Spirit’s work is to help us to turn our eyes away from self and our problems to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us look at our problems, others, and ourselves instead of Christ. All those gazes upon ourselves, our problems, and others will never bring us any strength, help us to find comfort, or give us any hope and assurance.
The Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self and turns them to Jesus. He tells us that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, do not look at your fragile hold of Jesus Christ, look at Jesus Christ! Do not look at your feelings about yourself and your life, look at Jesus Christ! Do not look at your little faith you have in Jesus Christ- look at Jesus Christ the author and finisher of your faith! Do not look at your weakness and failings as a Christian, look at Jesus Christ and His blood and His work! Do not look at your loose grip on Jesus Christ, look at Jesus Christ’s grip upon you! Do not look at your little hope in Jesus, look at Jesus, the source of your hope!
Charles Spurgeon says that “We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. Oh! Let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.”
I encourage you to keep running, persevering, and fighting. How? By looking to Jesus, who “is at work in us to will and to do his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Look to Jesus who will “complete what He started in us.” (Philippians 1:6) Look to Jesus who while you run and fight can enable you to “be strong in Him and the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
Psalm 123:2, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.”
2 Chronicles 20:12, “…we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
Isaiah 45:22, "Look to Me, and be saved,All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."
Hear again what the writer of Hebrews says, ‘Look to Jesus’! Don’t waste your look, looking at yourself, that look won’t help. Hebrews says, ‘Look to Jesus.’ “Look to Jesus! See Him hanging on the cross the cross bearing your sins and the wrath of God that you deserved upon myself. Look at Jesus who died and buried. Look at Jesus; He rose again. Look at Jesus; He ascended to heaven. Look at Jesus; He is sitting on the throne at the Father’s right hand. Look at Jesus, He is coming again. Are you tired, defeated, discouraged, weak, feel like giving up, can't take another day, hopeless, helpless, and lost? Do you hear dear reader? Look to Jesus! Look to Jesus!” Look! Look! Look! Maybe something is clicking inside of you. You know this is what you need to do. Look to and trust in Jesus Christ. Look to Jesus, take heart, trust him, and run.
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
Pastor Bill
A teenager had decided to quit high school, saying he was just fed up with it all. His father kept trying to convince him to stay with it. “Son”, he said, “you just can’t quit. All the people who are remembered in history didn’t quit. Thomas Edison, he didn’t quit. Douglas MacArthur, he didn’t quit. Elmo McCringle…” “Who?” the son burst in. “Elmo McCringle”, replied his father. “Who the heck is Elmo McCringle?” asked the son. “See,” the father replied, you don’t remember him. He quit!”
One of the most significant utterances ever to come from the mouth of Jesus was spoken on the cross. In the midst of His grand passion, as He suffered the pangs of the agony of death, Jesus managed to gasp, "It is finished."(John 19:30) That is when Jesus quit life; when His task was finished. Not before. Not until. The work had to be finished.
The Apostle Paul stated it this way: "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God…Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus…I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith " (Acts 20:24; Philippians 3:13-14; 2 Timothy 4:7). So at the end of his life Paul said, "All my life has been like a fight and like a race. Keeping faith has been a struggle. I have fought the good fight and run the race of perseverance." And before he died Paul made clear that this view of his own life was his view of the Christian life everybody is called to live. In 1 Timothy 6:12 he says, "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." And to explain, he said in verse 11, "Flee [the love of money]—flee all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness." Note the two words: "flee" and "pursue"—flee the love of money and all the evils that grow out of it, and pursue faith and love and perseverance. These are the words of war: Flee! Pursue! Paul knows nothing of coasting or casual Christianity. Paul simply does not recognize a Christianity that is not running a race and fighting a fight. Nor does the author of the letter to the Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a race. When you are in a race, it is extremely important where you look. Nothing will throw off your stride or slow you down like looking at your feet or looking at a runner coming up behind you, or looking at the crowd in the grandstands. The Christian race is the same. Some may look too much to themselves, what they are doing, or on others and what they are doing. Some people will focus upon the difficulties and the obstacles along the way. Some will keep looking back at the past, whether losses or better days. Some will keep their eyes upon the goal; the finish line. Where you are looking will determine whether or not you finish the race.
The writer of Hebrews wants to encourage us to look to Jesus. "Looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith."(Hebrews 12:2). He uses the Greek present participle that implies the idea of a constant attention during the race. He exhorts us to focus continually upon Him. Jesus will keep us running and winning. Fixing our eyes on seeing Jesus is what saves us and strengthens us.
Who is He? He is the author and the supreme example of our faith. Jesus has gone through everything we have to face, and by faith, He faced it successfully. Like a pioneer He started and finished the race in triumph! That is why He can help us to succeed! He has gone ahead; he knows what paths to take and what ones to avoid. He is also the perfecter of our faith. He worked to author faith and to perfect faith. He works to begin it and He works to complete it in our lives.
Not only that, but the very Jesus we look to is ever present with you and in you through the Holy Spirit. “I am with you always…” (Matthew28:20). “I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17). Did you know that the Holy Spirit’s work is to help us to turn our eyes away from self and our problems to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us look at our problems, others, and ourselves instead of Christ. All those gazes upon ourselves, our problems, and others will never bring us any strength, help us to find comfort, or give us any hope and assurance.
The Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self and turns them to Jesus. He tells us that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, do not look at your fragile hold of Jesus Christ, look at Jesus Christ! Do not look at your feelings about yourself and your life, look at Jesus Christ! Do not look at your little faith you have in Jesus Christ- look at Jesus Christ the author and finisher of your faith! Do not look at your weakness and failings as a Christian, look at Jesus Christ and His blood and His work! Do not look at your loose grip on Jesus Christ, look at Jesus Christ’s grip upon you! Do not look at your little hope in Jesus, look at Jesus, the source of your hope!
Charles Spurgeon says that “We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. Oh! Let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.”
I encourage you to keep running, persevering, and fighting. How? By looking to Jesus, who “is at work in us to will and to do his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Look to Jesus who will “complete what He started in us.” (Philippians 1:6) Look to Jesus who while you run and fight can enable you to “be strong in Him and the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
Psalm 123:2, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.”
2 Chronicles 20:12, “…we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
Isaiah 45:22, "Look to Me, and be saved,All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."
Hear again what the writer of Hebrews says, ‘Look to Jesus’! Don’t waste your look, looking at yourself, that look won’t help. Hebrews says, ‘Look to Jesus.’ “Look to Jesus! See Him hanging on the cross the cross bearing your sins and the wrath of God that you deserved upon myself. Look at Jesus who died and buried. Look at Jesus; He rose again. Look at Jesus; He ascended to heaven. Look at Jesus; He is sitting on the throne at the Father’s right hand. Look at Jesus, He is coming again. Are you tired, defeated, discouraged, weak, feel like giving up, can't take another day, hopeless, helpless, and lost? Do you hear dear reader? Look to Jesus! Look to Jesus!” Look! Look! Look! Maybe something is clicking inside of you. You know this is what you need to do. Look to and trust in Jesus Christ. Look to Jesus, take heart, trust him, and run.
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
Pastor Bill
Sunday, November 27, 2011
JAMES THOUGHTS ON YOU, PLANNING, AND GOD
"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15
I am convinced that how I view God and how I view life really matters. It really matters whether a true view of life and of God informs and shapes the way I think and how I speak about my plans. Our mindset matters. How you talk about your plans and how you think about God matters. Why? Why does that matter? Because God created us not just to do things and go places with our bodies, but to have certain attitudes and convictions and speech that reflect the truth; a true view of life and God. God means for the truth about Himself and about life to be known and felt and spoken and lived out as part of our reason for being. You weren't just created to go somewhere and do business; you were made to go somewhere with thoughts and attitudes and words that reflect a right view of life and God.
HAVING A HUMBLE VIEW OF LIFE
1. A HUMBLE view of life sees that the future is uncertain
James tells us says in verse 14, that in all of your planning keep in your mind and give expression with your lips to this truth: “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring." That is, in humility, keep in mind that you have no firm substance on this earth. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t know what we think we know because our knowledge, like our life, is limited. O how I have learned how limited is my knowledge during theses past 19 months! 19 months ago I was planning for a future that included my wife and my church. Little did I know that I would be divorced, I would not be pastoring my old church and be attempting to start a new church, that my income would decrease by 80%, and that I would be starting my life completely over at 58 years old. So much for my plans!
I have learned that I am not God; therefore I cannot see what is coming next! This has profoundly humbled me and kept me in a very humble posture before God in living the rest of my life! But I have come to believe that ignorance concerning the future is a God-given blessing and not a liability. Oh, I know we would all like to join with the fictional characters in Back to the Future movies and be able to bet on sporting events and invest in the stock market with a knowledge of all that is going to take place. But I think that God in his wisdom has very wisely hidden the future from us. Think about it. If God were to let you look ahead and see your future prosperity, you might become extremely careless. If you saw ahead to the adversity and personal losses you are going to be facing, you might despair or you might try to take control to make sure it doesn’t happen. God has hidden the future from you for a very good reason. It is so that you might be compelled to trust in him wholeheartedly and completely every moment of every day of your life. The Bible teaches us that the people of God shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). And without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
2. A HUMBLE view of life sees that life is fragile
James also says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (Verse 14). Not only is the future uncertain, you are as fragile as mist and vapor. This is an eloquent simile. You see the mist at one moment and a few minutes later it’s gone. You see the steam coming out of your coffee cup and in just a second, it disappears into the air. Life is like that. James’ point is that you have no assurance of a long life! You have no promise that you will live for ten more years, one more year, one more week, one more day or even one more hour. You don’t even know if you’ll make it till tomorrow morning!
In Psalm 103:15-16, the Psalmist writes, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” Every day of your life, every breath you take is totally dependent upon God. You are always just one heartbeat away from eternity. Did you know that your days, from a heavenly perspective, are numbered! You will never live one day, or one hour, or even one second longer than God has planned for you to live. In Psalm 139:16 the Psalmist writes, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
That’s why Moses prays in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” On October 13, I turned 58 and a half. I have about 4562 days until I’m at my allotted seventy, if I even make that. That only adds up to about 652 weeks or 152 months! Yikes! Only God can give me the wisdom I need to spend those days profitably in light of eternity. Keep in mind that you have no durability on this earth, for you appear "for a little while" - just a little while. Your time is short. And keep in mind that you will disappear. You will be gone, and life will go on without you. It matters, he says, that you keep this view of life in mind in all of your decisions and planning.
HAVING A HUMBLE VIEW OF GOD
James tells us the true view of God that we should have in our minds and in our mouths as we plot our future - as we make our plans. It not only matters that you have a humble view of life when you make your plans,- you are like a vapor, but it also matters that you have a humble view of God as you make your plans. And that you give expression of this humble view of God: "You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that'" (Verse 15). Now it is important to see that James is not just giving us a teaching to make sure that we preface all of our actions with “if it is the Lord’s will”.
We all know that people use “God’s will” to get their way; “lord willing” becomes a cliche used to rationalize selfishness. James is not talking about spiritualizing decision making. Anyone can say the words if the Lord wills and intend nothing more than to be RC- religiously correct. James is not looking for a change of words, but a change of heart. James offers a correction to a deeply ingrained philosophy of life. The big issue is between those who live, really live, as if God exists and those who do not. In your planning for tomorrow or next week or next month or next year or for ten years from now, God wants you’re planning to be done with Him and His will in mind.
There ought to be small parentheses written in all the sentences of your planning even as Jesus taught us by both His example in Gethsemane, “Father, not my but thy will be done” and in his teaching to us on prayer: . “Father in heaven…Let Your will be done”. It is the submissive attitude toward God that says, “Lord, you may interrupt at any time. In fact God, I welcome you to do so. Change this whole plan in accordance with your will and I’ll accept it from your hand.” “Give me the desire to want what I want to ought, so that I will do what I ought to do”.
So what is the right view of God that he teaches us to have in verse 15? He tells us two very important things about God. One is contained in the words: "If the Lord wills, we will live." And the other is contained in the words, "If the Lord wills, we will . . . do this or that."
1. First, when he says, "If the Lord wills, we will live," he teaches us that the duration of our lives is in the hands of God. Or: God governs how long we will live. Or: God is ultimately in control of life and death. We may not know how long our vapor-like life will linger in the air, but God knows, because God decides how long we will live: "If the Lord wills we will live." And James is saying: If this is a true view of life and God, then it should shape our mindset and shape our way of talking. In Acts 18:21, Paul left Ephesus and said, "I will return to you again if God wills." In 1 Corinthians 4:19 he writes, "I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills." For most of his life he did not know if the next town might be his burial place. That was in the hands of God. And so are our lives. Psalm 31:15-16, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. My times are in your hand.” God will decide how long we live and when we die. And James' point is: God means for that truth, that reality, to shape our mindset and our attitude and our words. He means for that truth to be known and spoken about. He means for it to be a part of the substance of our conversation. God means for a true view of himself to be known and believed and embraced and cherished and kept in mind and spoken of.
2. Now, there is another truth about God in verse 15: When he says, "If God wills we will . . . do this or that," he teaches us that the activities and accomplishments of our lives are in God's hands. God governs what we accomplish. Not only are our lives in his hands, our success is in his hands. Proverbs 16:9 we are told: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
1. Let us remember how wonderfully secure we are in the confidence that it is God who finally governs our lives
God and not chance, God and not our enemies, God and not disease, God and not the devil. I, for one, am very glad that my life is in the hands of an all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful Father. I pray that in the Gethsemane evening of my life I will be able to say with Jesus, "Not my will but yours be done," and then, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." Rejoice in this. You are immortal until God's work for you is done.
2. Since your life and your accomplishments are ultimately in the hands of God, then he is able, in ways you never dreamed, to help you fulfill His plans for your life and provide every need besides.
Philippians 4:19, "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."
3. Trust God with your future plans.
Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Things don’t always go the way we plan them. I can absolutely testify to this! At best, our plans are tentative, because we can’t see ahead. We make plans but many times God has a much better plan. That’s why he sometimes changes our plans so that they will fit perfectly with his plan. So we must learn to be humble, flexible and tentative as we look to the future, knowing that God may have a totally different plan than what we are now thinking. In his sovereignty he may very well change those plans according to his perfect will. Oh may we live our lives in humble, loving, trust, and submission in God who governs our lives and our achievements for our good and his glory!
Trusting in Him who holds the future,
Pastor Bill
I am convinced that how I view God and how I view life really matters. It really matters whether a true view of life and of God informs and shapes the way I think and how I speak about my plans. Our mindset matters. How you talk about your plans and how you think about God matters. Why? Why does that matter? Because God created us not just to do things and go places with our bodies, but to have certain attitudes and convictions and speech that reflect the truth; a true view of life and God. God means for the truth about Himself and about life to be known and felt and spoken and lived out as part of our reason for being. You weren't just created to go somewhere and do business; you were made to go somewhere with thoughts and attitudes and words that reflect a right view of life and God.
HAVING A HUMBLE VIEW OF LIFE
1. A HUMBLE view of life sees that the future is uncertain
James tells us says in verse 14, that in all of your planning keep in your mind and give expression with your lips to this truth: “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring." That is, in humility, keep in mind that you have no firm substance on this earth. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t know what we think we know because our knowledge, like our life, is limited. O how I have learned how limited is my knowledge during theses past 19 months! 19 months ago I was planning for a future that included my wife and my church. Little did I know that I would be divorced, I would not be pastoring my old church and be attempting to start a new church, that my income would decrease by 80%, and that I would be starting my life completely over at 58 years old. So much for my plans!
I have learned that I am not God; therefore I cannot see what is coming next! This has profoundly humbled me and kept me in a very humble posture before God in living the rest of my life! But I have come to believe that ignorance concerning the future is a God-given blessing and not a liability. Oh, I know we would all like to join with the fictional characters in Back to the Future movies and be able to bet on sporting events and invest in the stock market with a knowledge of all that is going to take place. But I think that God in his wisdom has very wisely hidden the future from us. Think about it. If God were to let you look ahead and see your future prosperity, you might become extremely careless. If you saw ahead to the adversity and personal losses you are going to be facing, you might despair or you might try to take control to make sure it doesn’t happen. God has hidden the future from you for a very good reason. It is so that you might be compelled to trust in him wholeheartedly and completely every moment of every day of your life. The Bible teaches us that the people of God shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). And without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
2. A HUMBLE view of life sees that life is fragile
James also says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (Verse 14). Not only is the future uncertain, you are as fragile as mist and vapor. This is an eloquent simile. You see the mist at one moment and a few minutes later it’s gone. You see the steam coming out of your coffee cup and in just a second, it disappears into the air. Life is like that. James’ point is that you have no assurance of a long life! You have no promise that you will live for ten more years, one more year, one more week, one more day or even one more hour. You don’t even know if you’ll make it till tomorrow morning!
In Psalm 103:15-16, the Psalmist writes, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” Every day of your life, every breath you take is totally dependent upon God. You are always just one heartbeat away from eternity. Did you know that your days, from a heavenly perspective, are numbered! You will never live one day, or one hour, or even one second longer than God has planned for you to live. In Psalm 139:16 the Psalmist writes, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
That’s why Moses prays in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” On October 13, I turned 58 and a half. I have about 4562 days until I’m at my allotted seventy, if I even make that. That only adds up to about 652 weeks or 152 months! Yikes! Only God can give me the wisdom I need to spend those days profitably in light of eternity. Keep in mind that you have no durability on this earth, for you appear "for a little while" - just a little while. Your time is short. And keep in mind that you will disappear. You will be gone, and life will go on without you. It matters, he says, that you keep this view of life in mind in all of your decisions and planning.
HAVING A HUMBLE VIEW OF GOD
James tells us the true view of God that we should have in our minds and in our mouths as we plot our future - as we make our plans. It not only matters that you have a humble view of life when you make your plans,- you are like a vapor, but it also matters that you have a humble view of God as you make your plans. And that you give expression of this humble view of God: "You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that'" (Verse 15). Now it is important to see that James is not just giving us a teaching to make sure that we preface all of our actions with “if it is the Lord’s will”.
We all know that people use “God’s will” to get their way; “lord willing” becomes a cliche used to rationalize selfishness. James is not talking about spiritualizing decision making. Anyone can say the words if the Lord wills and intend nothing more than to be RC- religiously correct. James is not looking for a change of words, but a change of heart. James offers a correction to a deeply ingrained philosophy of life. The big issue is between those who live, really live, as if God exists and those who do not. In your planning for tomorrow or next week or next month or next year or for ten years from now, God wants you’re planning to be done with Him and His will in mind.
There ought to be small parentheses written in all the sentences of your planning even as Jesus taught us by both His example in Gethsemane, “Father, not my but thy will be done” and in his teaching to us on prayer: . “Father in heaven…Let Your will be done”. It is the submissive attitude toward God that says, “Lord, you may interrupt at any time. In fact God, I welcome you to do so. Change this whole plan in accordance with your will and I’ll accept it from your hand.” “Give me the desire to want what I want to ought, so that I will do what I ought to do”.
So what is the right view of God that he teaches us to have in verse 15? He tells us two very important things about God. One is contained in the words: "If the Lord wills, we will live." And the other is contained in the words, "If the Lord wills, we will . . . do this or that."
1. First, when he says, "If the Lord wills, we will live," he teaches us that the duration of our lives is in the hands of God. Or: God governs how long we will live. Or: God is ultimately in control of life and death. We may not know how long our vapor-like life will linger in the air, but God knows, because God decides how long we will live: "If the Lord wills we will live." And James is saying: If this is a true view of life and God, then it should shape our mindset and shape our way of talking. In Acts 18:21, Paul left Ephesus and said, "I will return to you again if God wills." In 1 Corinthians 4:19 he writes, "I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills." For most of his life he did not know if the next town might be his burial place. That was in the hands of God. And so are our lives. Psalm 31:15-16, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. My times are in your hand.” God will decide how long we live and when we die. And James' point is: God means for that truth, that reality, to shape our mindset and our attitude and our words. He means for that truth to be known and spoken about. He means for it to be a part of the substance of our conversation. God means for a true view of himself to be known and believed and embraced and cherished and kept in mind and spoken of.
2. Now, there is another truth about God in verse 15: When he says, "If God wills we will . . . do this or that," he teaches us that the activities and accomplishments of our lives are in God's hands. God governs what we accomplish. Not only are our lives in his hands, our success is in his hands. Proverbs 16:9 we are told: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
1. Let us remember how wonderfully secure we are in the confidence that it is God who finally governs our lives
God and not chance, God and not our enemies, God and not disease, God and not the devil. I, for one, am very glad that my life is in the hands of an all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful Father. I pray that in the Gethsemane evening of my life I will be able to say with Jesus, "Not my will but yours be done," and then, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." Rejoice in this. You are immortal until God's work for you is done.
2. Since your life and your accomplishments are ultimately in the hands of God, then he is able, in ways you never dreamed, to help you fulfill His plans for your life and provide every need besides.
Philippians 4:19, "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."
3. Trust God with your future plans.
Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Things don’t always go the way we plan them. I can absolutely testify to this! At best, our plans are tentative, because we can’t see ahead. We make plans but many times God has a much better plan. That’s why he sometimes changes our plans so that they will fit perfectly with his plan. So we must learn to be humble, flexible and tentative as we look to the future, knowing that God may have a totally different plan than what we are now thinking. In his sovereignty he may very well change those plans according to his perfect will. Oh may we live our lives in humble, loving, trust, and submission in God who governs our lives and our achievements for our good and his glory!
Trusting in Him who holds the future,
Pastor Bill
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Trusting Christ With Gutsy Guilt.
Have you sinned lately? This morning? this afternoon? A minute ago? The reality of the Christian life is that while it is God's will that we do not sin, as long as we are here in this body of ours we all still sin. The apostle John clearly spells this out for us.
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. .. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2).
Does not this describe your life? We sin. We confess our sins. We know that we should not sin. But we do and when we do we have our advocate and propitiation, Jesus Christ. So how does God look at us when we sin? "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1) Do you believe that? The devil hates this truth and he hates the finished work of Christ. So his mission is to keep you in the place of guilt, shame, and darkness through lies, deceptions, accusation, and condemnation.
Frequently when I do sin, in spite of 1 John and Romans, even after I have confessed my sin and repented, I still feel guilt, shame, condemnation, and insecure in my perspective of God and how He views me and my sin. I find it hard to accept His mercy and feel that He does not want anything to do with me. I now know that is exactly the enemies tactic of keeping me distant in my communion with God because of my own guilt and shame.
Micah 7:8-9 is a picture of what you say to your enemy when he scoffs at your defeat. This is a description of what we do when there is "no condemnation" and yet we have sinned. How do we think and act?
Here is what you say. My summary of these words is to call them like John Piper calls them, gutsy guilt. I call it that because when I sin I must admit that I have done wrong and that God is dealing with me. But even in a condition of darkness and discipline, I will not surrender my hold on the truth that God loves me and is on my side (Romans 8:31-38).
Listen to these amazing words. Mark them. Memorize them. Preach them to yourself. Use them whenever Satan tempts you to defeat, discouragement, guilt, shame, condemnation, and despair.
"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication." (Micah 7:8-9)
This is what victory looks like after defeat. reflect on this deeply, frequently, and faithfully. Learn to take this truth and speak like this to the devil, yourself, or anyone else who tells you that Christ is not capable of using you mightily for His kingdom purposes.
Here is what you say to the devil after you have confessed your sins and he accuses you:
“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy.” You celebrate and rejoice over my failure? You had better think again Satan!!
“When I fall, I shall rise.” Do you know why? Yes, it is true that I have fallen and I hate and despise what I have done. I grieve at the dishonor I have brought on my Lord Jesus and my God. But hear this, my enemy, I will rise. I will rise. (Proverbs 24:16, "...for the righteous falls seven times and rises again")
“When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” When I sin, I feel as if I am sitting in darkness. I feel miserable. I feel guilty because I am guilty. But that is not all that is true about me and my God. The same God who makes my darkness is a sustaining light to me in this very darkness. He will not forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).
“I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me.” It is true that when the devil tells you that you have sinned, he is right. Until I confess my sin I am bearing the indignation of the Lord. But that is where the devil's using the truth against me stops and my theology begins: God, the very one who is indignant with me, will also plead my cause. The devil lies and says that God is against me and that I have no future with him because of my sin. That is a lie from the pit of hell and Satan is a liar!(John 8:44) My God, whose Son’s life is my righteousness and whose Son’s death is my punishment, will execute judgment for me. For me! FOR me! And not against me.
“He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.” This I know for sure, as sure as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my punishment and my righteousness, God will bring me out to the light, and I will look upon his righteousness, my Lord and my God.
Now that is a picture of how to think and act when you sin against God whose whole disposition toward you is almighty mercy, free grace, and omnipotent love. He will not always handle you gently. But he will always love you. And always be for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).
So we must take our sins seriously. We hate them because God does. We must see them as a contradiction of who we are in Christ and a contradiction of our Father's love. We must confess our sins (1 John 1:9). We look to the cross where all our pardon and righteousness was fully secured. We accept the Father's displeasure and discipline, and may dwell in darkness for a season. But if our enemy rejoices and says to us in our sorrow, "See, God is against you. He is angry. You are guilty and under his condemnation," then we will say, with the authority of Romans 8:1 and on the basis of Jesus Christ's death and righteousness, and in the words of Micah 7, "Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness."
That is what I mean by gutsy guilt. I do not know any other way to persevere in the Christian life in view of my constant failings. I do not know any other way to stay on course for the cause of Christ. I do not know any other way to live with God, others, and myself in peace, assurance, and rest in my soul. I do not know any other way to maintain hope, faithfulness, and fruitfulness in ministry, than this gutsy guilt: When I fall I will rise . . . though I have sinned, the very one against whom I have sinned will plead my case and execute justice for me - not against me, but FOR me!
Oh, love this truth, dear reader! Love and live this truth with all your might and all your faith. Do not let the devil have the final word over your sin.
Resting in the finished work of Christ,
Pastor Bill
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. .. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2).
Does not this describe your life? We sin. We confess our sins. We know that we should not sin. But we do and when we do we have our advocate and propitiation, Jesus Christ. So how does God look at us when we sin? "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1) Do you believe that? The devil hates this truth and he hates the finished work of Christ. So his mission is to keep you in the place of guilt, shame, and darkness through lies, deceptions, accusation, and condemnation.
Frequently when I do sin, in spite of 1 John and Romans, even after I have confessed my sin and repented, I still feel guilt, shame, condemnation, and insecure in my perspective of God and how He views me and my sin. I find it hard to accept His mercy and feel that He does not want anything to do with me. I now know that is exactly the enemies tactic of keeping me distant in my communion with God because of my own guilt and shame.
Micah 7:8-9 is a picture of what you say to your enemy when he scoffs at your defeat. This is a description of what we do when there is "no condemnation" and yet we have sinned. How do we think and act?
Here is what you say. My summary of these words is to call them like John Piper calls them, gutsy guilt. I call it that because when I sin I must admit that I have done wrong and that God is dealing with me. But even in a condition of darkness and discipline, I will not surrender my hold on the truth that God loves me and is on my side (Romans 8:31-38).
Listen to these amazing words. Mark them. Memorize them. Preach them to yourself. Use them whenever Satan tempts you to defeat, discouragement, guilt, shame, condemnation, and despair.
"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication." (Micah 7:8-9)
This is what victory looks like after defeat. reflect on this deeply, frequently, and faithfully. Learn to take this truth and speak like this to the devil, yourself, or anyone else who tells you that Christ is not capable of using you mightily for His kingdom purposes.
Here is what you say to the devil after you have confessed your sins and he accuses you:
“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy.” You celebrate and rejoice over my failure? You had better think again Satan!!
“When I fall, I shall rise.” Do you know why? Yes, it is true that I have fallen and I hate and despise what I have done. I grieve at the dishonor I have brought on my Lord Jesus and my God. But hear this, my enemy, I will rise. I will rise. (Proverbs 24:16, "...for the righteous falls seven times and rises again")
“When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” When I sin, I feel as if I am sitting in darkness. I feel miserable. I feel guilty because I am guilty. But that is not all that is true about me and my God. The same God who makes my darkness is a sustaining light to me in this very darkness. He will not forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).
“I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me.” It is true that when the devil tells you that you have sinned, he is right. Until I confess my sin I am bearing the indignation of the Lord. But that is where the devil's using the truth against me stops and my theology begins: God, the very one who is indignant with me, will also plead my cause. The devil lies and says that God is against me and that I have no future with him because of my sin. That is a lie from the pit of hell and Satan is a liar!(John 8:44) My God, whose Son’s life is my righteousness and whose Son’s death is my punishment, will execute judgment for me. For me! FOR me! And not against me.
“He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.” This I know for sure, as sure as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my punishment and my righteousness, God will bring me out to the light, and I will look upon his righteousness, my Lord and my God.
Now that is a picture of how to think and act when you sin against God whose whole disposition toward you is almighty mercy, free grace, and omnipotent love. He will not always handle you gently. But he will always love you. And always be for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).
So we must take our sins seriously. We hate them because God does. We must see them as a contradiction of who we are in Christ and a contradiction of our Father's love. We must confess our sins (1 John 1:9). We look to the cross where all our pardon and righteousness was fully secured. We accept the Father's displeasure and discipline, and may dwell in darkness for a season. But if our enemy rejoices and says to us in our sorrow, "See, God is against you. He is angry. You are guilty and under his condemnation," then we will say, with the authority of Romans 8:1 and on the basis of Jesus Christ's death and righteousness, and in the words of Micah 7, "Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness."
That is what I mean by gutsy guilt. I do not know any other way to persevere in the Christian life in view of my constant failings. I do not know any other way to stay on course for the cause of Christ. I do not know any other way to live with God, others, and myself in peace, assurance, and rest in my soul. I do not know any other way to maintain hope, faithfulness, and fruitfulness in ministry, than this gutsy guilt: When I fall I will rise . . . though I have sinned, the very one against whom I have sinned will plead my case and execute justice for me - not against me, but FOR me!
Oh, love this truth, dear reader! Love and live this truth with all your might and all your faith. Do not let the devil have the final word over your sin.
Resting in the finished work of Christ,
Pastor Bill
Monday, November 14, 2011
LIVING ON GRACE
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" 2 Corinthians 9:8
"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed." Romans 15:18
"With great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33
There is a saying that I have used over the years that personally means more to me than ever. It simply states: Christian living is either supernatural or it is nothing. I have been a Christian for 37 years. I believe that the call to deny ourselves, to love God and others,to do the works of Jesus like healing the sick, to return good for evil, to forgive seventy times seven, to endure one another, to obey His commands, and to keep doing this with joy for fifty, sixty, or seventy years is just not possible to the natural human. It is only possible to do this supernaturally.
I am thankful that the scriptures affirm this.
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Colossians 1:10-11 that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy;
It truly takes supernatural power to live and endure for Christ until we die. So we must seek the supernatural power of God’s sovereign grace daily in order to be the church and to be a Christian. Paul confirmed with his own words the absolute necessity of God’s grace for his ministry. He said, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not 1, but the grace of God with me" (I Corinthians 15:10).
Paul realized that the first part of this verse might be misunderstood. Someone might say, "See, he is telling us that God gave him grace in the past and now Paul is simply responding to that grace, out of gratitude or a sense of duty, by working for God as hard as he can." {This is exactly how some look at the Christian life!} That would be a partial, but very distorted, truth. It is not the picture of Christian living Paul wants to leave in our minds. So he goes on to say, "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me."
Paul says that, at every moment, the grace of God enabled his work. Does it really say that? Doesn't it just say that the grace of God [worked] with Paul? No, it says more. We have to come to terms with the words, "Yet not I." Paul wants to exalt the moment-by-moment grace of God in such a way that it is clear that he himself is not the decisive doer of this work. "Yet not I. "
Now the paradox is that nevertheless, Paul is a doer of this work. "I worked harder than any of them." He worked. But he said, it was the grace of God "with me." If we let all the parts of this verse stand, the end result is this: grace was the decisive doer in Paul's work.
This means that, as Paul faced each day’s ministry burden, he had a firm conviction and lived out that conviction with a humble, dependent posture and attitude that unless God’s grace was given for that day’s work, he would not be able to do it. He recalled the words of Jesus, "Apart from Me you, can do nothing’ (John 15:5). So he prayed for fresh supernatural grace for the day, and he trusted in the promise that it would come with power. "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Then he acted with all his might. And when he came to the end of the day, he called his might the might of grace and gave God the glory. "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me." Or, with different words, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13); ""I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"(Galatians 2:20). So, God’s grace did not replace Paul's effort; it enabled and carried it. No wonder Paul could say His grace toward me did not prove vain! Grace made Paul what he was. Grace gave him the courage to be who he was. Grace energized him to accomplish what he did. Grace was the silent partner and his constant traveling companion.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb.13: 20-21
God himself, graciously arriving each moment, brings grace into the present moment. So when Paul describes the effect of the grace of God that was with him he says, "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed" (Romans 15:18). The power we need for today’s ministry is the today grace of the omnipotent Christ, who will always, be there for us..
So how do we tap into this grace that we need to live supernaturally? Prayer connects us today with the grace that will make us adequate for today's living for Christ.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” The Greek original behind the phrase "grace to help in time of need" can be translated literally, "grace for a well-timed help."' The point is that prayer is the way to find God’s grace for a well-timed help. This grace always arrives from the "throne of grace" on time. The phrase, "throne of grace" means that grace comes from the king of the Universe who sets the times by his own authority (Acts 1:8). His timing is perfect, but it is rarely ours: "For a thousand years in [his] sight are like yesterday when it passes by" (Psalm 90:4). At the global level, he sets the times for nations to rise and fall (Acts 17:26). And at the personal level, "My times are in [his] hands" (Psalm 31:15). When we wonder about the timing of grace, we must think on the 'throne of grace." Nothing can hinder God's plan to send grace when it will be best for us. God’s grace is always well timed.
The need for grace is the constant plea of the praying psalmists. They pray for it again and again to meet every need. They leave every minister a model of daily dependence on grace for every emergency. They cry out for grace when they need help: "Hear, 0 Lord, and be gracious to me; 0 Lord, be Thou my helper" (Psalm 30:10). They cry out for grace when they are weak: "Turn to me, and be gracious to me; 0 grant Thy strength to Thy servant" (Psalm 86:16). They cry out for grace when they need healing: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord, for I am pining away; heal me, 0 Lord" (Psalm 6:2). They cry out for grace when they are afflicted by enemies: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord; behold my affliction from those who hate me" (Psalm 9:13). They cry out for grace when they are lonely: "Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted" (Psalm 25:16). They cry out for grace when they are grieving: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief" (Psalm 31:9). They cry out for grace when they have sinned: "O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee" (Psalm 41:4).
Once we are persuaded that the normal Christian life is supernatural, if we desire to “be” Christians, we will be on our knees. His grace is available to each of you.
1 Corinthians. 2:1-5, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Habakkuk. 3:17-19, Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; he will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
John Newton
Learning to live on grace,
Pastor Bill
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" 2 Corinthians 9:8
"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed." Romans 15:18
"With great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33
There is a saying that I have used over the years that personally means more to me than ever. It simply states: Christian living is either supernatural or it is nothing. I have been a Christian for 37 years. I believe that the call to deny ourselves, to love God and others,to do the works of Jesus like healing the sick, to return good for evil, to forgive seventy times seven, to endure one another, to obey His commands, and to keep doing this with joy for fifty, sixty, or seventy years is just not possible to the natural human. It is only possible to do this supernaturally.
I am thankful that the scriptures affirm this.
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Colossians 1:10-11 that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy;
It truly takes supernatural power to live and endure for Christ until we die. So we must seek the supernatural power of God’s sovereign grace daily in order to be the church and to be a Christian. Paul confirmed with his own words the absolute necessity of God’s grace for his ministry. He said, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not 1, but the grace of God with me" (I Corinthians 15:10).
Paul realized that the first part of this verse might be misunderstood. Someone might say, "See, he is telling us that God gave him grace in the past and now Paul is simply responding to that grace, out of gratitude or a sense of duty, by working for God as hard as he can." {This is exactly how some look at the Christian life!} That would be a partial, but very distorted, truth. It is not the picture of Christian living Paul wants to leave in our minds. So he goes on to say, "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me."
Paul says that, at every moment, the grace of God enabled his work. Does it really say that? Doesn't it just say that the grace of God [worked] with Paul? No, it says more. We have to come to terms with the words, "Yet not I." Paul wants to exalt the moment-by-moment grace of God in such a way that it is clear that he himself is not the decisive doer of this work. "Yet not I. "
Now the paradox is that nevertheless, Paul is a doer of this work. "I worked harder than any of them." He worked. But he said, it was the grace of God "with me." If we let all the parts of this verse stand, the end result is this: grace was the decisive doer in Paul's work.
This means that, as Paul faced each day’s ministry burden, he had a firm conviction and lived out that conviction with a humble, dependent posture and attitude that unless God’s grace was given for that day’s work, he would not be able to do it. He recalled the words of Jesus, "Apart from Me you, can do nothing’ (John 15:5). So he prayed for fresh supernatural grace for the day, and he trusted in the promise that it would come with power. "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Then he acted with all his might. And when he came to the end of the day, he called his might the might of grace and gave God the glory. "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me." Or, with different words, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13); ""I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"(Galatians 2:20). So, God’s grace did not replace Paul's effort; it enabled and carried it. No wonder Paul could say His grace toward me did not prove vain! Grace made Paul what he was. Grace gave him the courage to be who he was. Grace energized him to accomplish what he did. Grace was the silent partner and his constant traveling companion.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb.13: 20-21
God himself, graciously arriving each moment, brings grace into the present moment. So when Paul describes the effect of the grace of God that was with him he says, "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed" (Romans 15:18). The power we need for today’s ministry is the today grace of the omnipotent Christ, who will always, be there for us..
So how do we tap into this grace that we need to live supernaturally? Prayer connects us today with the grace that will make us adequate for today's living for Christ.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” The Greek original behind the phrase "grace to help in time of need" can be translated literally, "grace for a well-timed help."' The point is that prayer is the way to find God’s grace for a well-timed help. This grace always arrives from the "throne of grace" on time. The phrase, "throne of grace" means that grace comes from the king of the Universe who sets the times by his own authority (Acts 1:8). His timing is perfect, but it is rarely ours: "For a thousand years in [his] sight are like yesterday when it passes by" (Psalm 90:4). At the global level, he sets the times for nations to rise and fall (Acts 17:26). And at the personal level, "My times are in [his] hands" (Psalm 31:15). When we wonder about the timing of grace, we must think on the 'throne of grace." Nothing can hinder God's plan to send grace when it will be best for us. God’s grace is always well timed.
The need for grace is the constant plea of the praying psalmists. They pray for it again and again to meet every need. They leave every minister a model of daily dependence on grace for every emergency. They cry out for grace when they need help: "Hear, 0 Lord, and be gracious to me; 0 Lord, be Thou my helper" (Psalm 30:10). They cry out for grace when they are weak: "Turn to me, and be gracious to me; 0 grant Thy strength to Thy servant" (Psalm 86:16). They cry out for grace when they need healing: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord, for I am pining away; heal me, 0 Lord" (Psalm 6:2). They cry out for grace when they are afflicted by enemies: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord; behold my affliction from those who hate me" (Psalm 9:13). They cry out for grace when they are lonely: "Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted" (Psalm 25:16). They cry out for grace when they are grieving: "Be gracious to me, 0 Lord, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief" (Psalm 31:9). They cry out for grace when they have sinned: "O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee" (Psalm 41:4).
Once we are persuaded that the normal Christian life is supernatural, if we desire to “be” Christians, we will be on our knees. His grace is available to each of you.
1 Corinthians. 2:1-5, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Habakkuk. 3:17-19, Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; he will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
John Newton
Learning to live on grace,
Pastor Bill
Monday, November 7, 2011
HOW GOD MAKES LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE DESIRABLE AND DOABLE
One of the most encouraging passages in my life is the statement that the apostle Paul makes in Philippians 2:12-13, "“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” In verse 12, God tells us what He wants for our life. Many Christians hear just that part of the verse and get very very discouraged because it seems as if God is saying something that we must do on our own, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
Now let us first understand what Paul is not saying. The verse does not say, "Work for your salvation." There’s only one person who has worked for your salvation and that’s Jesus Christ. He alone worked for your salvation. Nor does Paul command the church here to work on their salvation. Our salvation cannot be improved upon. The rescue is complete. The salvation equation is very simple: Christ = salvation. There’s no plus sign in this equation. You dishonor Christ if you try to add a plus sign, if you try to work on your salvation, because a plus sign suggests that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross wasn’t enough for you.
So what then does Paul mean when he says “work out your salvation”? Christians sometimes struggle with growing in grace because they don’t understand how it works. Either they think that God does something like this…He says, ‘OK, I’ve saved you by Jesus Christ, I’ve forgiven you, and now you’re on your own. Get crackin’! Get to it.’ And other times, they think, ‘Well, God saved me, and He’s at work in me changing me, so I don’t have to do anything.’ And the Apostle Paul with this exhortation is both encouraging us and correcting us at the same time.
The ideal behind the words "your own salvation" is that God has a plan for each of our lives. He has a design for you and He has a duty for you. Paul says in Romans 8:29 that we were predestined to be conformed the very image of Christ. We are to fulfill that plan so that our lives will bring forth fruit to the glory of God. So one thing Paul is saying here is that as Christians we must strive to get the greatest potential benefit from our salvation. God puts tremendous capacity for good in our lives-like the mother lode in silver mine or a field full of ripe crops-and He wants us to realize that capacity to its fullest. It is as if Paul is saying, don’t stop halfway; don't be satisfied with partial benefits when it comes to your relationship with God. Get the full benefit of the gospel.
The Christian life is not just a one time commitment. It is an ongoing walk, a race to be run, a fight to be fought. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:6-7, “As you received Jesus Christ as Lord (past tense), so (now, presently) walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him.” God wants to continue His saving work in us everyday-refining, strengthening, making us more into His likeness. Discipleship is a lifelong process. So Paul urges us here to get on with that process-to continually strive to work out our salvation-to mine all the benefits we can from it-to constantly seek to grow and mature and be more and more like Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” Colossians 1:29, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” 2 Peter 1:1, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” Believing does not make the Christian passive. It makes them hopeful, energetic, and courageous. Each day there is work to be done and we are commanded to work.
BUT...
How many of you have lived in verse 12 and felt completely discouraged, defeated, debilitated, and downcast because you cannot do what verse 12 seems to demand of you? You battle your desires to work out your salvation, your will to work out your salvation, and your ability to work out your salvation. Perhaps you feel defeated before you even get out the door.
Thank God for verse 13!It is here that we find the key to the door of living verse 12. In verse 13, He tells us how this is brought to pass. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” Do not get stuck in verse 12 dear reader!
"It is God who works in you.” Is this good news my friend? Paul is telling us that the Christian life is not our attempt at the imitation of Christ but the incarnation of Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). The Christian life is not a series of “ups and downs” it is rather a process of “ins and outs.” God works in and we work out. Paul is saying that God is the decisive worker in your life! We work, but we work by and through and because of His working in us.
There are two great needs in every Christian life. First, there is the desire to do God's will and the second is the ability to do His will. If I only have the desire chances are on the basis of what I have seen in my life I will not do God's will. I will want to, but because of my flesh, I won't do what I want to do. I need the power and the ability to do what I want to do. That is why Philippians 2:13 is such stupendously good news to you and me.
God does more than merely strengthen our willing and doing. He does not add just a little help so that I can partner with Him. Paul's explanation goes deeper. "God himself is working in us both to will and to act: He works in us at the level of our wills and at the level of our doing God works in us, not merely with us. It is not the thought that my work plus God's work gets it done.
Augustine wrote, "Our deeds are our own, because of the free will producing them, and they are also God's, because of his grace causing our free will to produce them." And he says elsewhere, "God makes us do what he pleases by making us desire what we might not desire."' And finally he says, "Give me the grace [O Lord] to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! . . . O holy God . . . when your commands are obeyed, it is from you that we receive the power to obey them."
Notice the enthusiastic heart of God in his working in you. "...it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” The word "pleasure" means "a happy joyful desire or purpose." God is working in us that His desire and purpose for our life to be fulfilled and that brings him great joy.
Second Thessalonians 1:11-12, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”
Hebrews 13:20-21, `Now may the God of peace. equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Romans 15:18, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”
This is encourages me so much, and there are two things that encourage me. He says we can do verse 12 because God Himself is at work in you already, so that you will want to do it, and you will be able to do it, so that you will do it for His good pleasure in you. God is the workman; we stand in need of his services. He is the doctor, we are the sick patient. We are the weak, He is the strong. We have the broken down jalopy, He is the mechanic. That’s incredible.
In short, God makes living the Christian life so desirable and so doable!!!
Do you know what else is encouraging to me about this? It’s that he says this in the present tense. God is working now at this very moment! NOW! Dear reader, say that to yourself! ____________ God is working now at this very moment in me.
Even when we are most actively working out for God, we are still the recipients of His working in us. The power to work out daily our salvation is the power of the living God always there to work for us and in us every moment that we enter. Not only that, He doesn’t stop and wait for you to get working rather He is now and always working The God who in the past worked and changed you is the same God who is at work in you now to change you. And let me tell you, my friends, that truth keeps me from despair, because one of the great realities that I live with every waking moment is that I know that I am not what I ought to be. And the Apostle Paul is simply saying to you here, ‘Child of God, He’s not finished with you yet. He is at work with you, in you, for you, for His pleasure and glory.’
I cannot imagine a more comforting and encouraging thing to know in the pursuit of godliness in the Christian life than that my God is not done yet. It keeps me from going over the edge. It keeps me from the brink of despair. It is the promise (God will work in you!) that sustains and gives hope to the willpower (work out your salvation). Take heart. God will not leave you to yourself. John Newton once wrote: I am not what I want to be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I should be, but by the grace of God, I am what I am.”
Can anything be more radical than this? It means every good desire; every Christ-like thought, attitude, decision, and aspiration which I have is something which has been produced in me by God. God controls my willing, it is God who is energizing my very desires and hopes and aspirations and thoughts. He stimulates it all!” It means God understands our weakness and is committed to helping us. It means we are not left to simply work to muster more of our strength but we are invited to tap into His. It means we don't have to worry about falling away in the end because God is working on our desires and appetites so that we won't want to drift away. It means that the victories and accomplishments we have in the spiritual realm should be acknowledged as coming from the Lord and we should give Him the glory. It means that we can live the Christian life.
Oh reader, we need not fear the will of God or flee the will of God on the basis of feeling inadequate or insufficient. God will enable us to do anything He asks of us. God wants to lure you into obedience with his irresistibly beautiful and ineffable promises of enablement! Where God guides, He will provide.
Take the following texts as encouragements from God that He will help you fulfill His purposes for your life:
Jeremiah 31:31 33, `Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
Deuteronomy 30.6, "The LORD your God will circumcise your heart...so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "
Ezekiel 11:19–20, A new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them."
Ezekiel 36:26-27, `I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”
Hebrews 13:20-21, `Now may the God of peace. equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Romans 15:18, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”
1 Peter 4:11, "Whoever serves" is to do so `as one who serves by the strength which God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 3:12. "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another "
Utterly thrilled that God makes living the Christian life so desirable and so doable!
Pastor Bill
Now let us first understand what Paul is not saying. The verse does not say, "Work for your salvation." There’s only one person who has worked for your salvation and that’s Jesus Christ. He alone worked for your salvation. Nor does Paul command the church here to work on their salvation. Our salvation cannot be improved upon. The rescue is complete. The salvation equation is very simple: Christ = salvation. There’s no plus sign in this equation. You dishonor Christ if you try to add a plus sign, if you try to work on your salvation, because a plus sign suggests that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross wasn’t enough for you.
So what then does Paul mean when he says “work out your salvation”? Christians sometimes struggle with growing in grace because they don’t understand how it works. Either they think that God does something like this…He says, ‘OK, I’ve saved you by Jesus Christ, I’ve forgiven you, and now you’re on your own. Get crackin’! Get to it.’ And other times, they think, ‘Well, God saved me, and He’s at work in me changing me, so I don’t have to do anything.’ And the Apostle Paul with this exhortation is both encouraging us and correcting us at the same time.
The ideal behind the words "your own salvation" is that God has a plan for each of our lives. He has a design for you and He has a duty for you. Paul says in Romans 8:29 that we were predestined to be conformed the very image of Christ. We are to fulfill that plan so that our lives will bring forth fruit to the glory of God. So one thing Paul is saying here is that as Christians we must strive to get the greatest potential benefit from our salvation. God puts tremendous capacity for good in our lives-like the mother lode in silver mine or a field full of ripe crops-and He wants us to realize that capacity to its fullest. It is as if Paul is saying, don’t stop halfway; don't be satisfied with partial benefits when it comes to your relationship with God. Get the full benefit of the gospel.
The Christian life is not just a one time commitment. It is an ongoing walk, a race to be run, a fight to be fought. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:6-7, “As you received Jesus Christ as Lord (past tense), so (now, presently) walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him.” God wants to continue His saving work in us everyday-refining, strengthening, making us more into His likeness. Discipleship is a lifelong process. So Paul urges us here to get on with that process-to continually strive to work out our salvation-to mine all the benefits we can from it-to constantly seek to grow and mature and be more and more like Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” Colossians 1:29, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” 2 Peter 1:1, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” Believing does not make the Christian passive. It makes them hopeful, energetic, and courageous. Each day there is work to be done and we are commanded to work.
BUT...
How many of you have lived in verse 12 and felt completely discouraged, defeated, debilitated, and downcast because you cannot do what verse 12 seems to demand of you? You battle your desires to work out your salvation, your will to work out your salvation, and your ability to work out your salvation. Perhaps you feel defeated before you even get out the door.
Thank God for verse 13!It is here that we find the key to the door of living verse 12. In verse 13, He tells us how this is brought to pass. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” Do not get stuck in verse 12 dear reader!
"It is God who works in you.” Is this good news my friend? Paul is telling us that the Christian life is not our attempt at the imitation of Christ but the incarnation of Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). The Christian life is not a series of “ups and downs” it is rather a process of “ins and outs.” God works in and we work out. Paul is saying that God is the decisive worker in your life! We work, but we work by and through and because of His working in us.
There are two great needs in every Christian life. First, there is the desire to do God's will and the second is the ability to do His will. If I only have the desire chances are on the basis of what I have seen in my life I will not do God's will. I will want to, but because of my flesh, I won't do what I want to do. I need the power and the ability to do what I want to do. That is why Philippians 2:13 is such stupendously good news to you and me.
God does more than merely strengthen our willing and doing. He does not add just a little help so that I can partner with Him. Paul's explanation goes deeper. "God himself is working in us both to will and to act: He works in us at the level of our wills and at the level of our doing God works in us, not merely with us. It is not the thought that my work plus God's work gets it done.
Augustine wrote, "Our deeds are our own, because of the free will producing them, and they are also God's, because of his grace causing our free will to produce them." And he says elsewhere, "God makes us do what he pleases by making us desire what we might not desire."' And finally he says, "Give me the grace [O Lord] to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! . . . O holy God . . . when your commands are obeyed, it is from you that we receive the power to obey them."
Notice the enthusiastic heart of God in his working in you. "...it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” The word "pleasure" means "a happy joyful desire or purpose." God is working in us that His desire and purpose for our life to be fulfilled and that brings him great joy.
Second Thessalonians 1:11-12, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”
Hebrews 13:20-21, `Now may the God of peace. equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Romans 15:18, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”
This is encourages me so much, and there are two things that encourage me. He says we can do verse 12 because God Himself is at work in you already, so that you will want to do it, and you will be able to do it, so that you will do it for His good pleasure in you. God is the workman; we stand in need of his services. He is the doctor, we are the sick patient. We are the weak, He is the strong. We have the broken down jalopy, He is the mechanic. That’s incredible.
In short, God makes living the Christian life so desirable and so doable!!!
Do you know what else is encouraging to me about this? It’s that he says this in the present tense. God is working now at this very moment! NOW! Dear reader, say that to yourself! ____________ God is working now at this very moment in me.
Even when we are most actively working out for God, we are still the recipients of His working in us. The power to work out daily our salvation is the power of the living God always there to work for us and in us every moment that we enter. Not only that, He doesn’t stop and wait for you to get working rather He is now and always working The God who in the past worked and changed you is the same God who is at work in you now to change you. And let me tell you, my friends, that truth keeps me from despair, because one of the great realities that I live with every waking moment is that I know that I am not what I ought to be. And the Apostle Paul is simply saying to you here, ‘Child of God, He’s not finished with you yet. He is at work with you, in you, for you, for His pleasure and glory.’
I cannot imagine a more comforting and encouraging thing to know in the pursuit of godliness in the Christian life than that my God is not done yet. It keeps me from going over the edge. It keeps me from the brink of despair. It is the promise (God will work in you!) that sustains and gives hope to the willpower (work out your salvation). Take heart. God will not leave you to yourself. John Newton once wrote: I am not what I want to be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I should be, but by the grace of God, I am what I am.”
Can anything be more radical than this? It means every good desire; every Christ-like thought, attitude, decision, and aspiration which I have is something which has been produced in me by God. God controls my willing, it is God who is energizing my very desires and hopes and aspirations and thoughts. He stimulates it all!” It means God understands our weakness and is committed to helping us. It means we are not left to simply work to muster more of our strength but we are invited to tap into His. It means we don't have to worry about falling away in the end because God is working on our desires and appetites so that we won't want to drift away. It means that the victories and accomplishments we have in the spiritual realm should be acknowledged as coming from the Lord and we should give Him the glory. It means that we can live the Christian life.
Oh reader, we need not fear the will of God or flee the will of God on the basis of feeling inadequate or insufficient. God will enable us to do anything He asks of us. God wants to lure you into obedience with his irresistibly beautiful and ineffable promises of enablement! Where God guides, He will provide.
Take the following texts as encouragements from God that He will help you fulfill His purposes for your life:
Jeremiah 31:31 33, `Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
Deuteronomy 30.6, "The LORD your God will circumcise your heart...so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "
Ezekiel 11:19–20, A new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them."
Ezekiel 36:26-27, `I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”
Hebrews 13:20-21, `Now may the God of peace. equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Romans 15:18, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”
1 Peter 4:11, "Whoever serves" is to do so `as one who serves by the strength which God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 3:12. "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another "
Utterly thrilled that God makes living the Christian life so desirable and so doable!
Pastor Bill
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