“…stand firm thus in the Lord”
What do you do when your marriage struggles? If your boss annoys you? If people oppose you? If life in your present circumstances is tough? If everything around you seems to be falling apart? If your church is floundering? If your ministry seems unfruitful or unsuccessful? If every part of you feels like throwing in the towel and giving up? If you feel all alone? If there seems to be no relief, no help, no direction, and things just seem to keep getting worse?
The Apostle Paul gives us six words for times like these in Philippians 4:1,"Stand firm thus in the Lord!” Stand firm. Notice that it is a particular kind of standing firm. Not stand firm in yourselves. Not stand firm in your experiences. Not stand firm in all your own strength. No, stand firm in the Lord like he says in Ephesians 6:10, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Be strong in the Lord! Stand firm in the Lord! It is not by will power and grim determination you hang on. No, it is standing firm in the Lord; that is joined to Him, united with Him, receiving strength and grace from Him moment by moment, day by day. “I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). You can do all things through Christ who is your source of strength, life, love, confidence, and joy.
It is a remarkable fact that at several crucial junctures in Paul's letters the practical outcome of the Christian's warfare against the world , the flesh, and the devil is defined as a matter of "standing": 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Colossians 4:12, "Stand firm in all the will of God."1 Thessalonians 3:8, “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Ephesians 6:10-14, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…”
Why is this repeated emphasis on standing firm in the scriptures? Paul urged them to stand fast because, even in his own case, spiritual life was a struggle. Even Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained.” He was pressing forward; he was straining his whole energy by the power of the Holy Ghost. He did not expect to be carried to heaven on a feather bed; he was warring and agonizing. So he repeats it again and again: Stand firm!
Now the Greek verb used over and over again and here is stekete. It is a military word which means to stand your ground, stand your post in the midst of battle. It means what Paul said in Ephesians 6, in the middle of battle you've got your armor on and having done all to stand. Stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand firmly no matter what comes. You don't crumble under persecution and compromise. You don't crumble under testing and complain. You don't crumble under temptation and sin, you stand firm, spiritually stable. You must not be half-hearted and uncertain in the fight. Stand firm in the truth and what you believe. Stand firm in the gospel of Christ. Stand firm in the sovereignty of God. Stand firm in the authority and sufficiency of the Scripture. Stand firm in what God says about marriage, about family, about purity, about your purpose, about your goal in life. Stand firm; be committed to Christ and His cause, never give up, never give in, and never give even a thought to possible retreat. Let there be no turning back, no back doors, no escape clauses. Stand firm; realize that you are a child of God, and that the world and the flesh and the devil are set against you. Get it clear in your mind and then you will brace yourself to the task and to the duty. Stand firm when everything is going well, and stand firm when everything is falling apart.
Stand firm!' Do not be half-hearted, do not be half in and half out. Be `all out', be thorough! It is a command from the commander of the army of God Jesus Christ, to you and me! So let us give a total full response to it. The cause of God is something worth standing for. The Apostle Paul himself calls it "the good fight' of faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He urges us to “fight the good fight of faith!”(1 Timothy 6:12). Oh how good and great is this fight! And if that does not make us `stand', what will? Think of the kingdom to which you belong, think of your whole position, think of your King, think of your true allegiance and the greatness and surpassing value of His Kingdom. If we but realized this we would never be half-hearted, we would never slouch. We should be so filled with pride, and a sense of glory at the great privilege that is given to us, that there would be no need to exhort us to stand; we would be standing already. Remember what you are fighting for, remember the Cause.
The fact is it is God's battle. We are not fighting a personal fight; this is not some personal skirmish. We are fighting the battle of the Lord. `The battle is not yours, but God's.' (1 Samuel 17:47). Christianity is not our affair, it is God's; and the Christian Church as an army, is the army of the living God. It is God's battle; and what we are fighting for is the name and fame and the glory of God.
Oh how I cherish the word from the Lord in Exodus 14 as Israel was being pursued by the vast Egyptian army. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). O brethren, we may well stand firm since we have infinite power at our backs. The Lord is with us with all his energy, even with his all-conquering strength, which shall subdue all his foes. Do not let us imagine that any enemy can be too strong for Christ’s arm.
Or 2 Chronicles 20. The armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom were on the move against the Israelites. Jehoshaphat caught wind of the impending attack.The Jews were in serious trouble! They would be wiped out unless they received massive help. Jehoshaphat had no alternative but to call Israel to a fast and to pray. There were no other alternatives.
Have you ever been in that position in life. I feel it more times than I can share. Helpless, hopeless, and paralyzed by fear. In another part of the scripture, it is called being at “wits end” (Psalm 107:27). So they stood before the temple, and Jehoshaphat pleaded their case before the Lord and then said this:
“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.’ (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Do you hear that confession? We are powerless and don’t know what to do. This confession is the very launchpad of God’s mercy and grace for us: Our need, brokenness, desperateness, helplessness, inadequacy, weakness, insufficiency, poverty AND God’s power, grace, help, and provision.
Listen to the familiar response of tjhe Lord in verses 14-15,17: “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's…You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Do you hear again the battle cry of God? Israel was to stand firm, hold their position, and see the salvation of the Lord as He fights their battle! God’s word to us through this story in all the crises we face is this: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
God answered Jehoshaphat’s faith-filled prayer in a spectacular way. He threw the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites into confusion and they slaughtered one another. Jehoshaphat and his choir-led army never had to lift a sword. And it took them three days to carry the plunder back home.
Oh how we need to be standing firm! I treasure the phrase Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Be steadfast as you move forward. Be “Immovable. Be “always abounding in the work of the Lord”.
Stand firm! Our call to stand firm is a radically God centered, Christ exalting, Spirit dependent, promised supported standing firm! There is no higher calling, no bigger privilege, no greater battle, no more worthy cause, and no greater joy. Stand firm! Christians stand firm! Leaders stand firm! Pastors stand firm! Servants of the Lord stand firm! Husbands and wives stand firm! Wives, stand firm! Parents, stand firm! Children, stand firm! Students, stand firm! Singles stand firm! Whoever you are and wherever you are and whatever you are doing, if you don't do anything else, do this: Stand firm! And watch the Lord fight your battles for you to his glory and your supreme joy!
Standing firm solely in the power and strength and faithfulness of Jesus,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
HOW TO NOT LOSE HEART
I can hardly read Paul without a sense of wonder and awe at this man’s devotion. How did Paul manage to come to the end of his life and say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:8)?
I love 2 Corinthians 4:1, where Paul said, “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” The phrase that I have really anchored myself on is, “We do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1,16). The Greek term is ekkakeo, which contains the root kak, always a reference to evil, sin, and fallenness. This is more than just not getting discouraged or burned out; it is a commitment not to defect spiritually, whether through cowardice, laziness, immorality, indifference, or abandonment of calling and duty. But how do we do it?
First, we do not lose heart because of the preciousness and worth of the ministry that God had given us: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1). The ministry he was referring to is described in the previous chapter as “the ministry of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:8) and “the ministry of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 3:9), in contrast to the “ministry of condemnation.” It is the ministry of the new covenant, which the Old Testament predicted: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31–33).
To know the gospel, to believe it with all your heart, and to be called to proclaim it is the most noble and exalted privilege any person could ever have! That led Paul to write: Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14–16). Who is sufficient for these things? Amazing! Paul was stunned by the divine privilege of ministry and never lost sight of it. I must always remind myself that ministry is a privilege not a perk. It is a wonderful sacred trust given to me by God of the most incredible gospel treasure.
Secondly, we do not lose heart because of the reality that all ministry is a mercy, which is grace bestowed upon the undeserving. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1)
The fact is that all ministry is nothing but a privilege that comes to us solely by grace, kindness, mercy, and goodness. All ministry is undeserved! The godly response is deep gratitude, as we see from Paul’s words to Timothy: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:12-15).
I don’t know how many times I have felt lofty expectations of return for what I do for Jesus. I have often complained and whined to God, “My church isn’t treating me well. I deserve to be treated better!” I will say “my church should be much bigger. More people should be hearing my teaching. I deserve more success for my efforts.” Paul says that my salvation is a mercy. The fact that I’m not in hell is a mercy. My ministry itself is a mercy. C.J. Mahaney says that the fact is, once you understand who you are and who God is, you are always doing better than you deserve!
Much discouragement in my life is connected to unrealistic expectations based upon a sense of entitlement. If you realize, however, that you deserve nothing and that everything good in your life is a mercy from God, you will be free to accept whatever God chooses to grace you with in your ministry whether little or large.
John MacArthur says, As a pastor sometimes I wallow in self-pity and say, “Those people don’t appreciate me. I’m not going to take this!” and then go home to complain to my wife. The right response is, “I don’t deserve to stand up and teach any of these people. If they all walked out next Sunday, I’d be getting what I deserve.” It is a mercy I have not so affected my wife that she walked out. It is a mercy I have not somehow disappointed my children and made them turn away from Christ. It is a mercy I haven’t stood in the pulpit and said such stupid things that my congregation ran me out of town!’
Thirdly, we do not lose heart because of the reality of our own insignificance.
A few verses later we see the proper view of ourselves that helps us to not lose heart. “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” ( 2 Corinthians 4:7). Oh how amazing is the mercy and grace of God! You cannot explain the impact of the gospel message by looking at those whom God has called as preachers. What a contrast Paul makes: There is a treasure (the massive, blazing, shining, glorious gospel) in earthen vessels or clay pots (things that are cheap, common, breakable, and replaceable)! The power of the glorious gospel is not the product of human talent, ability, genius, or technique. We are weak and common, plain and fragile, breakable and disposable, but that does not prove fatal to the work of God. On the contrary, in our weaknesses we demonstrate that God must be at work, for that is the only logical explanation!
I pray all of the time that God would do a work in me utterly disproportionate to who I am! I pray that God would take my little life and little ministry and little abilities and utter weakness and do something so great in this clay pot that all would say, "The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes!" When Paul looked at his own life, he thought of himself not only as a mere clay pot but also as a battered one: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). These four contrasts all say the same thing, which is that Paul experienced severe trials in his ministry, but none of them prevailed.
One of the greatest trials Paul experienced was his thorn in the flesh. Do you remember what Paul learned from God’s own lips about that trial? The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul got the message, for he responded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Finally, we do not lose heart because we live with eternity in view, not earthly comfort, popularity, or success in this life.
Paul concludes: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
Those are staggering thoughts that put all our struggles into perspective. We don’t lose heart in the end because we have an eternal perspective. In view of Christ and eternity his motto was, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). His focus was always on heaven, preferring the spiritual over the physical (2 Corinthians 4:16), the future over the present (verse 17), and the invisible over the visible (verse 18). He kept his eye on the prize, which is an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (verse 17). Nothing that can come our way in this world can compare with the magnificence of the glory that will be granted to us in the presence of our Lord someday.
STRIVING TO FIGHT THE FIGHT, FINISH THE RACE, KEEP THE FAITH, AND TO NOT LOSE HEART,
Pastor Bill
I love 2 Corinthians 4:1, where Paul said, “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” The phrase that I have really anchored myself on is, “We do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1,16). The Greek term is ekkakeo, which contains the root kak, always a reference to evil, sin, and fallenness. This is more than just not getting discouraged or burned out; it is a commitment not to defect spiritually, whether through cowardice, laziness, immorality, indifference, or abandonment of calling and duty. But how do we do it?
First, we do not lose heart because of the preciousness and worth of the ministry that God had given us: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1). The ministry he was referring to is described in the previous chapter as “the ministry of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:8) and “the ministry of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 3:9), in contrast to the “ministry of condemnation.” It is the ministry of the new covenant, which the Old Testament predicted: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31–33).
To know the gospel, to believe it with all your heart, and to be called to proclaim it is the most noble and exalted privilege any person could ever have! That led Paul to write: Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14–16). Who is sufficient for these things? Amazing! Paul was stunned by the divine privilege of ministry and never lost sight of it. I must always remind myself that ministry is a privilege not a perk. It is a wonderful sacred trust given to me by God of the most incredible gospel treasure.
Secondly, we do not lose heart because of the reality that all ministry is a mercy, which is grace bestowed upon the undeserving. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1)
The fact is that all ministry is nothing but a privilege that comes to us solely by grace, kindness, mercy, and goodness. All ministry is undeserved! The godly response is deep gratitude, as we see from Paul’s words to Timothy: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:12-15).
I don’t know how many times I have felt lofty expectations of return for what I do for Jesus. I have often complained and whined to God, “My church isn’t treating me well. I deserve to be treated better!” I will say “my church should be much bigger. More people should be hearing my teaching. I deserve more success for my efforts.” Paul says that my salvation is a mercy. The fact that I’m not in hell is a mercy. My ministry itself is a mercy. C.J. Mahaney says that the fact is, once you understand who you are and who God is, you are always doing better than you deserve!
Much discouragement in my life is connected to unrealistic expectations based upon a sense of entitlement. If you realize, however, that you deserve nothing and that everything good in your life is a mercy from God, you will be free to accept whatever God chooses to grace you with in your ministry whether little or large.
John MacArthur says, As a pastor sometimes I wallow in self-pity and say, “Those people don’t appreciate me. I’m not going to take this!” and then go home to complain to my wife. The right response is, “I don’t deserve to stand up and teach any of these people. If they all walked out next Sunday, I’d be getting what I deserve.” It is a mercy I have not so affected my wife that she walked out. It is a mercy I have not somehow disappointed my children and made them turn away from Christ. It is a mercy I haven’t stood in the pulpit and said such stupid things that my congregation ran me out of town!’
Thirdly, we do not lose heart because of the reality of our own insignificance.
A few verses later we see the proper view of ourselves that helps us to not lose heart. “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” ( 2 Corinthians 4:7). Oh how amazing is the mercy and grace of God! You cannot explain the impact of the gospel message by looking at those whom God has called as preachers. What a contrast Paul makes: There is a treasure (the massive, blazing, shining, glorious gospel) in earthen vessels or clay pots (things that are cheap, common, breakable, and replaceable)! The power of the glorious gospel is not the product of human talent, ability, genius, or technique. We are weak and common, plain and fragile, breakable and disposable, but that does not prove fatal to the work of God. On the contrary, in our weaknesses we demonstrate that God must be at work, for that is the only logical explanation!
I pray all of the time that God would do a work in me utterly disproportionate to who I am! I pray that God would take my little life and little ministry and little abilities and utter weakness and do something so great in this clay pot that all would say, "The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes!" When Paul looked at his own life, he thought of himself not only as a mere clay pot but also as a battered one: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). These four contrasts all say the same thing, which is that Paul experienced severe trials in his ministry, but none of them prevailed.
One of the greatest trials Paul experienced was his thorn in the flesh. Do you remember what Paul learned from God’s own lips about that trial? The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul got the message, for he responded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Finally, we do not lose heart because we live with eternity in view, not earthly comfort, popularity, or success in this life.
Paul concludes: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
Those are staggering thoughts that put all our struggles into perspective. We don’t lose heart in the end because we have an eternal perspective. In view of Christ and eternity his motto was, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). His focus was always on heaven, preferring the spiritual over the physical (2 Corinthians 4:16), the future over the present (verse 17), and the invisible over the visible (verse 18). He kept his eye on the prize, which is an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (verse 17). Nothing that can come our way in this world can compare with the magnificence of the glory that will be granted to us in the presence of our Lord someday.
STRIVING TO FIGHT THE FIGHT, FINISH THE RACE, KEEP THE FAITH, AND TO NOT LOSE HEART,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A BRIEF STUDY OF PAUL'S LIFE FOR INSPIRATION IN ORDER TO PERSEVERE IN HARD TIMES
I have had many trials this year of my life. I lost my assistant pastor at the beginning of the year. I have battled severe back pain for eighteen months, my wife was gone for 6 months, we sent out two of our best church members out on the mission field (this one is kind of bitter sweet I guess!), I have seen several people leave my church, my personal finances have been tight, my daughter got in a severe auto accident, and our church finances have been really down by about $6,000 the past two months.
While all the circumstances of my life ebb and flow and the sands shift, the foundation I want to be building on is the bedrock of God’s Word. I have sought to be like the man in Luke’s Gospel whom Jesus said built his house by digging deep and laying a foundation on solid rock (Luke 6:48).
The teachings and life of Paul have been a firm foundation for me to build my life upon during these tough times. I just love this man! I have endured this year largely because of the apostle Paul. I don’t come close to having gone through all that Paul did, but I’ve been a Christian for 34 years and a pastor for 31 years and 21 years here in San Juan Capistrano at the same church. It has been long enough to see just about every kind of attack on my character, life, and ministry; so I’ve made a study of Paul’s life to learn how to persevere.
When Paul was at the end of his life he wrote that he “had fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). Even to the end of his days, he was at the Mount Everest peak of his life, breathing the rarefied air understood only by those who not only climb to the very pinnacle but also make that climb with nobility and integrity. Paul managed to do that, even though all in Asia had forsaken him. We read in 2 Timothy 4:10,14-16, “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia… Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.”
Paul’s life even at the end was filled with disappointments. There was no great crowd cheering Paul on when he reached his epic moment and finally approached the finish line. In fact, the church had largely turned their affections away from him, and the world was about to chop his head off.
2 Corinthians is an amazing autobiographical account of Paul’s adversities. I refer to it over and over when I am discouraged, tired, depressed, weak, feeling like quitting, having a pity party, and lonely. I wanted to encourage all of you to read the statements that Paul makes about his sufferings here on earth.
Let’s go back to Paul’s life at the beginning of 2 Corinthians:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:3–9)
The comfort came because Paul’s life was saturated with suffering and affliction. Everything that could come at that man came at him: physical persecution, deprivation, and illness, alongside spiritual battles and disappointments.
The thematic backbone of 2 Corinthians, in fact, is a chronicle of Paul’s highs and lows:
• “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–11)
• “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger . . . dishonor . . . slander. . . . We are treated as impostors . . . having nothing.” (2 Corinthians 6:4–10)
• “When we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us.” (2 Corinthians 7:5–6)
• “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?” (2 Corinthians 11:23–29)
• “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)
I can hardly read these each time without a sense of wonder and awe at this man’s devotion. I just want you to see all those passages because that’s the man who came to the end of his life and said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” How did Paul manage to do that? We will discuss this next time.
Following Paul's example,
Pastor Bill
While all the circumstances of my life ebb and flow and the sands shift, the foundation I want to be building on is the bedrock of God’s Word. I have sought to be like the man in Luke’s Gospel whom Jesus said built his house by digging deep and laying a foundation on solid rock (Luke 6:48).
The teachings and life of Paul have been a firm foundation for me to build my life upon during these tough times. I just love this man! I have endured this year largely because of the apostle Paul. I don’t come close to having gone through all that Paul did, but I’ve been a Christian for 34 years and a pastor for 31 years and 21 years here in San Juan Capistrano at the same church. It has been long enough to see just about every kind of attack on my character, life, and ministry; so I’ve made a study of Paul’s life to learn how to persevere.
When Paul was at the end of his life he wrote that he “had fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). Even to the end of his days, he was at the Mount Everest peak of his life, breathing the rarefied air understood only by those who not only climb to the very pinnacle but also make that climb with nobility and integrity. Paul managed to do that, even though all in Asia had forsaken him. We read in 2 Timothy 4:10,14-16, “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia… Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.”
Paul’s life even at the end was filled with disappointments. There was no great crowd cheering Paul on when he reached his epic moment and finally approached the finish line. In fact, the church had largely turned their affections away from him, and the world was about to chop his head off.
2 Corinthians is an amazing autobiographical account of Paul’s adversities. I refer to it over and over when I am discouraged, tired, depressed, weak, feeling like quitting, having a pity party, and lonely. I wanted to encourage all of you to read the statements that Paul makes about his sufferings here on earth.
Let’s go back to Paul’s life at the beginning of 2 Corinthians:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:3–9)
The comfort came because Paul’s life was saturated with suffering and affliction. Everything that could come at that man came at him: physical persecution, deprivation, and illness, alongside spiritual battles and disappointments.
The thematic backbone of 2 Corinthians, in fact, is a chronicle of Paul’s highs and lows:
• “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–11)
• “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger . . . dishonor . . . slander. . . . We are treated as impostors . . . having nothing.” (2 Corinthians 6:4–10)
• “When we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us.” (2 Corinthians 7:5–6)
• “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?” (2 Corinthians 11:23–29)
• “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)
I can hardly read these each time without a sense of wonder and awe at this man’s devotion. I just want you to see all those passages because that’s the man who came to the end of his life and said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” How did Paul manage to do that? We will discuss this next time.
Following Paul's example,
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
NOT LOVING YET LOVING THE WORLD Part 3-EVANGELIZE THE WORLD!
Several weeks ago I mentioned about a wonderful little book entitled Worldliness edited by C.J. Mahaney. There is a chapter written by Jeff Purswell on How to love the World that really excited me. Even as we are called to "stop loving the world, and the things of this world" in 1 John 2:15; there is also a sense in which we are to love the world. The apostle John reminds us in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world" and in John 17:8 that it was Christ's intention that the church would be in the world. So the question is how are we to live in this world that God loved and not love it, yet at the same time how can we love this world that God so loved? Jeff Purswell proposes three God given task that give substance to our loving the world in which we live. We looked first at the first task which is that we are called by God to Enjoy the World. Last week we looked at the second task which is that we are to Engage the World. The third task Purswell writes is:
Task 3: Evangelize the World
This final point may strike you as a bit predictable (like the first two tasks, it even begins with an E). It's also likely to elicit the inevitable guilt most of us experience when the subject is broached. Raise the topic of evangelism, and most sincere Christians will nod their heads, even as their eyes look down and their feet shuffle in embarrassment. It need not be this way, however. Once again, a biblical worldview can transform evangelism from a neglected Christian duty or a mark of elite spirituality to an exhilarating privilege for every believer.
Recall the Bible's storyline: creation, fall, redemption, consummation. As Christians, it's critical that we locate ourselves within this story, for this will inform and guide the nature of our involvement with the world. We live in that period of salvation history between the redeeming work of Christ on the cross—where sin was atoned for and Satan's stranglehold on humanity was broken—and the consummation of God's saving plan, when Christ will return to earth, Satan and all his works will be vanquished, and God will dwell with his people in a transformed creation. Until that glorious day, Christians have the consummate privilege of being God's ambassadors in a fallen world, proclaiming to sinful men and women the stupendous news about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation through him.
This cosmic vantage point should bring fresh perspective and motivation to a task we often shy away from. Far from being an optional extra of the Christian life, evangelism lies at the core of God's campaign to restore his entire creation—the reconciliation of his rebellious image bearers to himself. The unfolding of salvation history has therefore expanded the job description of God's people. In addition to filling and subduing the earth (Genesis 1:28), God now calls us to "Go . . . and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) through the proclamation and teaching of the gospel. These two facets of the Christian life are in fact inextricably related: the redemptive mandate of the Great Commission makes the fulfillment of the creation mandate possible. Only through Christ's redeeming work can God's redemptive purposes for this world be realized. To be sure, through common grace God restrains much evil and bestows many blessings to humanity. However, apart from the power of the gospel to transform human hearts and redirect human lives to live for God's glory, man would never comprehend or realize the purpose for which he was created: "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
The privilege of evangelism has both an individual and a corporate dimension. The last recorded words of Christ endow every Christian with a noble identity and high calling: "You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Of course, Jesus' apostles were uniquely witnesses of his life and resurrection, and their proclamation launched the church's mission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. But this term wasn't limited to the apostles, nor were they the only ones who proclaimed the gospel in the book of Acts. Stephen before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6-7), Philip in Samaria (Acts 8), nameless Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:20), countless believers throughout the centuries, you and I—we all bear the privilege and responsibility of communicating the message of the gospel to those around us.
The word witness doesn't originate in religious contexts or in evangelism materials. As in its common legal usage today, the word simply speaks of one who provides testimony of something they've seen or experienced. In a law court, a witness doesn't need a law degree or technical training in jurisprudence. He simply takes the stand and tells the truth as he has known and experienced it. That's all that's required of us as Christ's witnesses. In our relational networks and in the opportunities God provides, we simply "take the stand," as it were, and bear testimony to the gospel as we've known and experienced it. We don't need to be brilliant, dynamic, or persuasive—we simply need to testify faithfully of what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners like us. Theological understanding and apologetic training, while helpful, are not prerequisites for this task, nor does their absence exempt us from responsibility. The only requirements are a saving knowledge of Christ and a willingness to obey our Lord by sharing his gospel.
Now, let me be the first to admit something: it's far easier to compose the paragraph I just typed than to apply it. No doubt most who read this paragraph agree with it. The question is, are we obeying? Am I alert to the opportunities afforded to me daily to speak for Christ—wisely, humbly, winsomely, yes; but to speak nonetheless? Am I ready to give an account for the hope I have in the gospel (1 Peter 3:15)? Am I convinced that the gospel message itself—not my intellect or articulateness or wit—is "the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16)? The response of others to the gospel lies outside our control. We have one responsibility: faithfulness to the privilege of bearing the gospel to people who desperately need it.
Thankfully, we don't bear this responsibility alone. The story of the Bible reminds us that God is not simply saving individuals but gaining a people for himself. And through the witness of this people, God's saving actions are put on display: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
God holds up his church as Exhibit A for the reality of the gospel. As people called out of a fallen world, living transformed lives with transcendent values, the church displays the character of God, illustrates the power of God, and exemplifies the saving purposes of God. In fact, the church at this stage in salvation history has the privilege of signaling the next stage. Our life together gives the world a preview of life in the coming kingdom. George Ladd puts it this way:
Who dreamed that their church participation was so significant? Giving the world a glimpse of the consummated kingdom of God! Does such a grand vision govern our attitude toward our local churches? If it does, our participation will no doubt reflect it. We will love, serve, sacrifice, forgive, forbear, employ our gifts, mortify our pride—all that we might together "display in this present evil age the life and fellowship of the Age to come." Churches that display such a life, however imperfectly, are God's most potent instruments in his cosmic program to reclaim and restore his creation.
Strictly speaking, evangelism is sharing the message of the gospel, and the predicament of sinful people before a holy God invests this task with supreme urgency. However, the urgency of evangelism doesn't drain all other activity in this world of eternal significance. Once again, the Bible's story gives us perspective here: God remains committed to his creation, and he's actively working to restore it. As his redeemed image bearers, we have the privilege of laboring to see his dominion manifested throughout his creation. Swept into the kingdom of God, we now become agents of that kingdom in a fallen world.
Therefore, our daily lives in all their variety—vocation, relationships, study, community involvement, artistic endeavors, leisure—have the potential, when pursued for God's glory, to demonstrate something of the gospel and its effects. Every aspect of our involvement in this world is to have a redemptive component, illuminating the character of the Creator, imitating his activity, and embodying his intentions to save, renew, and restore. If we're appropriately "heavenly minded," we'll be alert to endless earthly oppor¬tunities to glorify God.
Take your job, for example. We should pursue our vocations in such a way that we model God's redemptive intentions. Different vocations will accomplish this differently, but all vocations can contribute to God's creation-restoring work. How can I serve others in my work? How can I display excellence? Model integrity? Alleviate suffering? More efficiently utilize God-given resources? Produce beauty? Seek justice? Our vocations are about far more than simply productivity and profit (although these should in no way be demeaned, reflecting as they do God's own fruitful activity). They provide untold opportunities to work for the extension of God's rule. Such activities follow naturally from the cosmic dimensions of Christ's rule, as John Murray reminds us: "There rests upon us . . . the obligation to bring to bear upon the whole compass of life the supernatural and redemptive forces that are inherent in the Christian redemption and revelation."
Consider other spheres of your life. In my neighborhood or community, what avenues of involvement would enable me to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33)? How might I serve the poor and underprivileged? How could I help to reverse inequities and establish justice? What gifts do I have that could be deployed for the good of my neighbors, the betterment of my community, the "welfare of [my] city" (Jeremiah 29:7)? Even though such activities may not directly communicate the gospel, they may well embody God's redemptive purposes by bringing peace and blessing to others.
Of course, such endeavors are not a substitute for the evangelistic task, although the distinction between these responsibilities is increasingly blurred in the evangelical world. Calls for mercy ministry, community transformation, and environmental concern, while legitimate and important, ring out with an urgency that often exceeds that attached to the evangelistic mandate. Unquestionably, Christians are to be salt and light in their communities (Matthew 5:13-14), working to see God's purposes extended in every possible way.
However, we must never forget what is at the core of God's redemptive activity: the salvation of people who bear his image and were created to know and glorify him. No other endeavor transcends this evangelistic priority. Our deeds may adorn the gospel message, but they must not be confused with the gospel message. Moreover, we should remain clear where our hope lies: only Christ's return will finally "redeem the culture," and our efforts to transform society, however legitimate, will always be partial. Like Abraham, we await a heavenly city (Heb. 11:8-16), which Christ will usher in at his return.
Enjoying the world, engaging the world, evangelizing the world—all are ways by which God calls us to be in the world and love the world. We receive God's earthly gifts, pursue God's purposes in earthly life, and work for the salvation of people made in God's image. All of life lived for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Task 3: Evangelize the World
This final point may strike you as a bit predictable (like the first two tasks, it even begins with an E). It's also likely to elicit the inevitable guilt most of us experience when the subject is broached. Raise the topic of evangelism, and most sincere Christians will nod their heads, even as their eyes look down and their feet shuffle in embarrassment. It need not be this way, however. Once again, a biblical worldview can transform evangelism from a neglected Christian duty or a mark of elite spirituality to an exhilarating privilege for every believer.
Recall the Bible's storyline: creation, fall, redemption, consummation. As Christians, it's critical that we locate ourselves within this story, for this will inform and guide the nature of our involvement with the world. We live in that period of salvation history between the redeeming work of Christ on the cross—where sin was atoned for and Satan's stranglehold on humanity was broken—and the consummation of God's saving plan, when Christ will return to earth, Satan and all his works will be vanquished, and God will dwell with his people in a transformed creation. Until that glorious day, Christians have the consummate privilege of being God's ambassadors in a fallen world, proclaiming to sinful men and women the stupendous news about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation through him.
This cosmic vantage point should bring fresh perspective and motivation to a task we often shy away from. Far from being an optional extra of the Christian life, evangelism lies at the core of God's campaign to restore his entire creation—the reconciliation of his rebellious image bearers to himself. The unfolding of salvation history has therefore expanded the job description of God's people. In addition to filling and subduing the earth (Genesis 1:28), God now calls us to "Go . . . and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) through the proclamation and teaching of the gospel. These two facets of the Christian life are in fact inextricably related: the redemptive mandate of the Great Commission makes the fulfillment of the creation mandate possible. Only through Christ's redeeming work can God's redemptive purposes for this world be realized. To be sure, through common grace God restrains much evil and bestows many blessings to humanity. However, apart from the power of the gospel to transform human hearts and redirect human lives to live for God's glory, man would never comprehend or realize the purpose for which he was created: "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
The privilege of evangelism has both an individual and a corporate dimension. The last recorded words of Christ endow every Christian with a noble identity and high calling: "You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Of course, Jesus' apostles were uniquely witnesses of his life and resurrection, and their proclamation launched the church's mission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. But this term wasn't limited to the apostles, nor were they the only ones who proclaimed the gospel in the book of Acts. Stephen before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6-7), Philip in Samaria (Acts 8), nameless Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:20), countless believers throughout the centuries, you and I—we all bear the privilege and responsibility of communicating the message of the gospel to those around us.
The word witness doesn't originate in religious contexts or in evangelism materials. As in its common legal usage today, the word simply speaks of one who provides testimony of something they've seen or experienced. In a law court, a witness doesn't need a law degree or technical training in jurisprudence. He simply takes the stand and tells the truth as he has known and experienced it. That's all that's required of us as Christ's witnesses. In our relational networks and in the opportunities God provides, we simply "take the stand," as it were, and bear testimony to the gospel as we've known and experienced it. We don't need to be brilliant, dynamic, or persuasive—we simply need to testify faithfully of what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners like us. Theological understanding and apologetic training, while helpful, are not prerequisites for this task, nor does their absence exempt us from responsibility. The only requirements are a saving knowledge of Christ and a willingness to obey our Lord by sharing his gospel.
Now, let me be the first to admit something: it's far easier to compose the paragraph I just typed than to apply it. No doubt most who read this paragraph agree with it. The question is, are we obeying? Am I alert to the opportunities afforded to me daily to speak for Christ—wisely, humbly, winsomely, yes; but to speak nonetheless? Am I ready to give an account for the hope I have in the gospel (1 Peter 3:15)? Am I convinced that the gospel message itself—not my intellect or articulateness or wit—is "the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16)? The response of others to the gospel lies outside our control. We have one responsibility: faithfulness to the privilege of bearing the gospel to people who desperately need it.
Thankfully, we don't bear this responsibility alone. The story of the Bible reminds us that God is not simply saving individuals but gaining a people for himself. And through the witness of this people, God's saving actions are put on display: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
God holds up his church as Exhibit A for the reality of the gospel. As people called out of a fallen world, living transformed lives with transcendent values, the church displays the character of God, illustrates the power of God, and exemplifies the saving purposes of God. In fact, the church at this stage in salvation history has the privilege of signaling the next stage. Our life together gives the world a preview of life in the coming kingdom. George Ladd puts it this way:
Who dreamed that their church participation was so significant? Giving the world a glimpse of the consummated kingdom of God! Does such a grand vision govern our attitude toward our local churches? If it does, our participation will no doubt reflect it. We will love, serve, sacrifice, forgive, forbear, employ our gifts, mortify our pride—all that we might together "display in this present evil age the life and fellowship of the Age to come." Churches that display such a life, however imperfectly, are God's most potent instruments in his cosmic program to reclaim and restore his creation.
Strictly speaking, evangelism is sharing the message of the gospel, and the predicament of sinful people before a holy God invests this task with supreme urgency. However, the urgency of evangelism doesn't drain all other activity in this world of eternal significance. Once again, the Bible's story gives us perspective here: God remains committed to his creation, and he's actively working to restore it. As his redeemed image bearers, we have the privilege of laboring to see his dominion manifested throughout his creation. Swept into the kingdom of God, we now become agents of that kingdom in a fallen world.
Therefore, our daily lives in all their variety—vocation, relationships, study, community involvement, artistic endeavors, leisure—have the potential, when pursued for God's glory, to demonstrate something of the gospel and its effects. Every aspect of our involvement in this world is to have a redemptive component, illuminating the character of the Creator, imitating his activity, and embodying his intentions to save, renew, and restore. If we're appropriately "heavenly minded," we'll be alert to endless earthly oppor¬tunities to glorify God.
Take your job, for example. We should pursue our vocations in such a way that we model God's redemptive intentions. Different vocations will accomplish this differently, but all vocations can contribute to God's creation-restoring work. How can I serve others in my work? How can I display excellence? Model integrity? Alleviate suffering? More efficiently utilize God-given resources? Produce beauty? Seek justice? Our vocations are about far more than simply productivity and profit (although these should in no way be demeaned, reflecting as they do God's own fruitful activity). They provide untold opportunities to work for the extension of God's rule. Such activities follow naturally from the cosmic dimensions of Christ's rule, as John Murray reminds us: "There rests upon us . . . the obligation to bring to bear upon the whole compass of life the supernatural and redemptive forces that are inherent in the Christian redemption and revelation."
Consider other spheres of your life. In my neighborhood or community, what avenues of involvement would enable me to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33)? How might I serve the poor and underprivileged? How could I help to reverse inequities and establish justice? What gifts do I have that could be deployed for the good of my neighbors, the betterment of my community, the "welfare of [my] city" (Jeremiah 29:7)? Even though such activities may not directly communicate the gospel, they may well embody God's redemptive purposes by bringing peace and blessing to others.
Of course, such endeavors are not a substitute for the evangelistic task, although the distinction between these responsibilities is increasingly blurred in the evangelical world. Calls for mercy ministry, community transformation, and environmental concern, while legitimate and important, ring out with an urgency that often exceeds that attached to the evangelistic mandate. Unquestionably, Christians are to be salt and light in their communities (Matthew 5:13-14), working to see God's purposes extended in every possible way.
However, we must never forget what is at the core of God's redemptive activity: the salvation of people who bear his image and were created to know and glorify him. No other endeavor transcends this evangelistic priority. Our deeds may adorn the gospel message, but they must not be confused with the gospel message. Moreover, we should remain clear where our hope lies: only Christ's return will finally "redeem the culture," and our efforts to transform society, however legitimate, will always be partial. Like Abraham, we await a heavenly city (Heb. 11:8-16), which Christ will usher in at his return.
Enjoying the world, engaging the world, evangelizing the world—all are ways by which God calls us to be in the world and love the world. We receive God's earthly gifts, pursue God's purposes in earthly life, and work for the salvation of people made in God's image. All of life lived for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Thursday, October 30, 2008
NOT LOVING YET LOVING THE WORLD Part 2-ENGAGE THE WORLD!
Last week I mentioned about a wonderful little book entitled Worldliness edited by C.J. Mahaney. There is a chapter written by Jeff Purswell on How to love the World that really excited me. Even as we are called to "stop loving the world, and the things of this world" in 1 John 2:15; there is also a sense in which we are to love the world. The apostle John reminds us in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world" and in John 17:8 that it was Christ's intention that the church would be in the world. So the question is how are we to live in this world that God loved and not love it, yet at the same time how can we love this world that God so loved? Jeff Purswell proposes three God given task that give substance to our loving the world in which we live. We looked last week at the first task which is that we are called by God to Enjoy the World. Here is what Purswell writes:
Task 2: Engage the World
This second God-given task relates to our call to involvement with the world. After Scripture records the creation of man and woman in the image of God in Genesis 1, God immediately issues to them his first command:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
As those uniquely created in the image of God, mankind has received the astonishing privilege of filling and governing the natural world on God's behalf. In Eden, we see some of the dimensions of God's original command spelled out: "The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). Humanity's responsibility is twofold. First, we're to "work" the earth, tilling its soil, developing its potential, marshaling its resources for mankind's good. Second, we're to "keep" it, responsibly stewarding the earth, protecting it from evil and abuse. Although all that God made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31), it wasn't complete; God delegated the development of his good creation to his image bearers. This development includes not simply the earth itself, but also the vast array of cultural possibilities that God built into the natural order, including family, science, commerce, technology, government, and the arts.
Theologians refer to this original command as the "creation mandate" or "cultural mandate," and this noble calling remains in force today. Although sin's entrance into the world has rendered this task far more difficult, it did not revoke the mandate (see Genesis 9:1). Caring for and developing the world isn't simply a necessary chore, a sub-spiritual add-on to our otherwise meaningful lives—far from it. "Subduing the earth" is intrinsic to our very humanity as God's image bearers and an essential way that we serve and glorify God.
Recognizing this should demolish any distinction in our thinking between sacred and secular spheres of our lives. We're all plagued by the tendency to compartmentalize some aspects of our lives as spiritual, good, and holy and others as unspiritual, unimportant, and amoral. Perhaps you're familiar with this impulse: "God really cares about my devotions, my church involvement, my tithe, and my sharing the gospel. Those are important. But my work? Just a necessary evil. Home responsibilities? They've got to get done. My free time? That's my time (as long as I don't sin)." Such thinking demeans Christ's lordship and impoverishes our spiritual life, rendering our faith irrelevant to 98 percent of our daily existence. No wonder so many lack passion in their Christian lives.
A biblical worldview sees every moment of life lived under the sovereign grace of God and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture's story is emphatic: God's rule extends to all of creation and therefore to all of our lives. As Abraham Kuyper famously put it, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: Mine!"'
Therefore, every second of life is significant. All the diverse activities implied by the cultural mandate are good and worth-while and pleasing to God. A biblical worldview gives us new eyes to see all of life: every sphere is charged with potential, every activity providing an opportunity to serve God, encounter God, obey God, enjoy God, testify to God, and bring glory to God. Because God is sovereign over all things, and Christ is redeeming all things, all things matter to God. Let's briefly consider how this perspective should impact our involvement with the world.
Work
The rat race. The daily grind. I'm off to the salt mines. Thank God it's Friday. Cliches like these capture our culture's bleak view of work. We endure labor as a necessary evil that yields the reward of leisure. Perhaps we worship work as an avenue of self-exaltation or an escape from the tedium of an otherwise empty life. Some Christians are more "spiritual" about it: for them, the workplace provides opportunities to witness and money to pay tithes. But beyond that we're pretty much just biding our time. After all, secular work is a second-class calling that enables ordinary Christians to support those doing the really important work of full-time Christian ministry.
The biblical worldview delivers us from the dreary existence that such thinking produces. Far from being a necessary evil, work—which preceded the fall (Genesis 2:15)—is part of God's good creation, a noble calling that reflects the dignity of bearing the image of the Creator. As a result, our jobs aren't something to be endured until we can really serve God (at church, on a missions trip, or until we can get a job at a Christian organization)—they are serving God! They're a channel by which we help to fulfill the cultural mandate, contributing our gifts and labors to those of others to develop and protect God's creation.
The significance of our work is multifaceted. For example, work is a primary way we imitate God. God is a worker. In fact, Scripture patterns our work as well as our rest on the rhythm of God's own work and rest in creation (Exodus 20:8-11). When we cultivate and demonstrate skill through a complex computer program, an innovative architectural design, or a business plan that comes in under budget, we're reflecting the skill of God who does all things well.
In addition, work is a primary way we serve others. Do you labor with this awareness? A builder's house provides shelter. A farmer's produce provides sustenance. An assembly worker's car provides transportation. A journalist's article provides awareness of important developments in a community. A sanitation worker provides a clean environment. Manufacturing, accounting, engineering, transportation, entertainment—all the facets of a society's network of relationships work together, under the common grace of God, to supply society's needs. Diligent labor is a tangible way we obey our Lord's command: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).
Related to this is the fact that work is a primary way we're used by God. You might nod in agreement: "Yes, I should glorify God in my work." But do you realize God is using you in your work? Indeed, he is present in your work. Martin Luther observed that a person's vocation is a "mask of God"—God cares for his creation and provides for his creatures' needs through the hands and labors and efforts of people.' So the farmer doesn't just sow and reap; God provides food through him. The lawyer doesn't just try a case; God executes justice through him. The trucker doesn't just drive a route—God distributes products through him. However oblivious people may be to this reality, God's kindness pulses through their daily activities, investing them with nobility and working through them to shower innumerable blessings upon undeserving sinners like you and me.
So don't just "go to work" and "do your job"—see your job as a way to imitate God, serve God, and love others. This doesn't mean work will never be difficult or frustrating or tedious; the curse ensures that it will be at times. But God's creational purposes and Christ's redeeming work infuse our work with meaning, and promise God-glorifying fruit as a result.
Home
The biblical idea of vocation or calling doesn't end with our jobs. A Christian has many callings in various dimensions of life, and none is more important than the home. In a family, fatherhood isn't a mere biological function or a task; it's a calling from God. The same is true for motherhood. Likewise, being a son or daughter is a calling from God. Why is this important? Because even the most ordinary, mundane details of our home life are sacred callings from God, to be pursued with faith and dependence upon God's enabling power. From family meals to household chores, from home improvements to game nights—no dimension of home life is exempt from Christ's loving lordship.
As a husband who daily observes the unflagging labor and selfless sacrifice of his wife, amid the unremitting responsibilities and countless chores of parenting, remember this message. Despite our culture's pervasive hostility to the idea, motherhood is a calling from God, and no calling is higher. Although Scripture calls husbands to provide loving leadership to their homes, it's the incessant labors of mothers that, day by day, year after year, instill biblical values and inculcate a Christian culture in the home. Who can measure the long-term effects of nurturing help-less infants, supervising wandering toddlers, disciplining self-willed children, and counseling self-absorbed adolescents? Of family outings planned, traditions built, memories made, books read, songs sung, Scripture taught? That's why motherhood belongs under the heading, "Engage the World"; no one shapes generations or fashions cultures more than mothers.
All of Life
The above paragraphs are merely suggestive examples of how the storyline of Scripture calls us to engage the world in every area of life. Other areas could be considered. Think about the years spent in education. Far from being a holding pattern until we get into the "real world," education is a means to glorify God. Of course, it can—and, in perhaps most cases, it will—prepare me for vocation, but more fundamentally it's a way to love God with all my mind. It alerts me to observe the works of God in creation and history. It equips me to enter into the conversation going on in culture, bringing to that conversation biblical discernment and wisdom. It prepares me to serve others by developing my mind and my gifts and my interests, using all these in the responsibilities God assigns to me and the opportunities he affords me.
What about leisure? For many in our culture, leisure and entertainment are mere distractions, often idolatrous ones. But for the Christian, leisure is a sign—a foretaste of the fullness of joy and richness and rest that awaits us in the new heavens and new earth. We're not robots designed for maxi-mum operating efficiency in strictly utilitarian endeavors. God made us to know him and glorify him forever. Leisure reminds us of this and offers us a taste of this eternal calling in the here and now of this world.
What about the third of our lives spent in sleep? This, too, is a gift from God designed to inform and temper our active involvement in the world. Sleep is not mere inactivity, a brief respite from the important work we have to do in life. Sleep reminds us that God is God and we are not; only he "will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4). As we lay down our weary heads, we're forced to relinquish the illusion of control over our lives and to entrust ourselves to the Lord, who keeps us in all our ways. Ultimately, sleep and rest point us to the rest that finds its fulfillment in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the great rest-giver (Matthew 11:28-30) whose sacrifice on the cross frees us from the futile efforts to atone for our sin, to overcome our depravity, and to commend ourselves to God.
The story of the Bible insists that God's reign extends to every part of creation—indeed, to every facet of our lives. Do you live with such an awareness? This is the point of the apostle Paul's startling metaphor for the Christian life: "a living sacrifice" (Roman 12:1). Every breath offered to God. Every moment lived for God. Sobering? Yes. But also breathtaking. Think about it. All of life affords one long opportunity to experience God, to serve God, to be used by God, as we receive from him our gifts, callings, and opportunities and the power to utilize them for his glory.
To be continued …
Task 2: Engage the World
This second God-given task relates to our call to involvement with the world. After Scripture records the creation of man and woman in the image of God in Genesis 1, God immediately issues to them his first command:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
As those uniquely created in the image of God, mankind has received the astonishing privilege of filling and governing the natural world on God's behalf. In Eden, we see some of the dimensions of God's original command spelled out: "The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). Humanity's responsibility is twofold. First, we're to "work" the earth, tilling its soil, developing its potential, marshaling its resources for mankind's good. Second, we're to "keep" it, responsibly stewarding the earth, protecting it from evil and abuse. Although all that God made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31), it wasn't complete; God delegated the development of his good creation to his image bearers. This development includes not simply the earth itself, but also the vast array of cultural possibilities that God built into the natural order, including family, science, commerce, technology, government, and the arts.
Theologians refer to this original command as the "creation mandate" or "cultural mandate," and this noble calling remains in force today. Although sin's entrance into the world has rendered this task far more difficult, it did not revoke the mandate (see Genesis 9:1). Caring for and developing the world isn't simply a necessary chore, a sub-spiritual add-on to our otherwise meaningful lives—far from it. "Subduing the earth" is intrinsic to our very humanity as God's image bearers and an essential way that we serve and glorify God.
Recognizing this should demolish any distinction in our thinking between sacred and secular spheres of our lives. We're all plagued by the tendency to compartmentalize some aspects of our lives as spiritual, good, and holy and others as unspiritual, unimportant, and amoral. Perhaps you're familiar with this impulse: "God really cares about my devotions, my church involvement, my tithe, and my sharing the gospel. Those are important. But my work? Just a necessary evil. Home responsibilities? They've got to get done. My free time? That's my time (as long as I don't sin)." Such thinking demeans Christ's lordship and impoverishes our spiritual life, rendering our faith irrelevant to 98 percent of our daily existence. No wonder so many lack passion in their Christian lives.
A biblical worldview sees every moment of life lived under the sovereign grace of God and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture's story is emphatic: God's rule extends to all of creation and therefore to all of our lives. As Abraham Kuyper famously put it, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: Mine!"'
Therefore, every second of life is significant. All the diverse activities implied by the cultural mandate are good and worth-while and pleasing to God. A biblical worldview gives us new eyes to see all of life: every sphere is charged with potential, every activity providing an opportunity to serve God, encounter God, obey God, enjoy God, testify to God, and bring glory to God. Because God is sovereign over all things, and Christ is redeeming all things, all things matter to God. Let's briefly consider how this perspective should impact our involvement with the world.
Work
The rat race. The daily grind. I'm off to the salt mines. Thank God it's Friday. Cliches like these capture our culture's bleak view of work. We endure labor as a necessary evil that yields the reward of leisure. Perhaps we worship work as an avenue of self-exaltation or an escape from the tedium of an otherwise empty life. Some Christians are more "spiritual" about it: for them, the workplace provides opportunities to witness and money to pay tithes. But beyond that we're pretty much just biding our time. After all, secular work is a second-class calling that enables ordinary Christians to support those doing the really important work of full-time Christian ministry.
The biblical worldview delivers us from the dreary existence that such thinking produces. Far from being a necessary evil, work—which preceded the fall (Genesis 2:15)—is part of God's good creation, a noble calling that reflects the dignity of bearing the image of the Creator. As a result, our jobs aren't something to be endured until we can really serve God (at church, on a missions trip, or until we can get a job at a Christian organization)—they are serving God! They're a channel by which we help to fulfill the cultural mandate, contributing our gifts and labors to those of others to develop and protect God's creation.
The significance of our work is multifaceted. For example, work is a primary way we imitate God. God is a worker. In fact, Scripture patterns our work as well as our rest on the rhythm of God's own work and rest in creation (Exodus 20:8-11). When we cultivate and demonstrate skill through a complex computer program, an innovative architectural design, or a business plan that comes in under budget, we're reflecting the skill of God who does all things well.
In addition, work is a primary way we serve others. Do you labor with this awareness? A builder's house provides shelter. A farmer's produce provides sustenance. An assembly worker's car provides transportation. A journalist's article provides awareness of important developments in a community. A sanitation worker provides a clean environment. Manufacturing, accounting, engineering, transportation, entertainment—all the facets of a society's network of relationships work together, under the common grace of God, to supply society's needs. Diligent labor is a tangible way we obey our Lord's command: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).
Related to this is the fact that work is a primary way we're used by God. You might nod in agreement: "Yes, I should glorify God in my work." But do you realize God is using you in your work? Indeed, he is present in your work. Martin Luther observed that a person's vocation is a "mask of God"—God cares for his creation and provides for his creatures' needs through the hands and labors and efforts of people.' So the farmer doesn't just sow and reap; God provides food through him. The lawyer doesn't just try a case; God executes justice through him. The trucker doesn't just drive a route—God distributes products through him. However oblivious people may be to this reality, God's kindness pulses through their daily activities, investing them with nobility and working through them to shower innumerable blessings upon undeserving sinners like you and me.
So don't just "go to work" and "do your job"—see your job as a way to imitate God, serve God, and love others. This doesn't mean work will never be difficult or frustrating or tedious; the curse ensures that it will be at times. But God's creational purposes and Christ's redeeming work infuse our work with meaning, and promise God-glorifying fruit as a result.
Home
The biblical idea of vocation or calling doesn't end with our jobs. A Christian has many callings in various dimensions of life, and none is more important than the home. In a family, fatherhood isn't a mere biological function or a task; it's a calling from God. The same is true for motherhood. Likewise, being a son or daughter is a calling from God. Why is this important? Because even the most ordinary, mundane details of our home life are sacred callings from God, to be pursued with faith and dependence upon God's enabling power. From family meals to household chores, from home improvements to game nights—no dimension of home life is exempt from Christ's loving lordship.
As a husband who daily observes the unflagging labor and selfless sacrifice of his wife, amid the unremitting responsibilities and countless chores of parenting, remember this message. Despite our culture's pervasive hostility to the idea, motherhood is a calling from God, and no calling is higher. Although Scripture calls husbands to provide loving leadership to their homes, it's the incessant labors of mothers that, day by day, year after year, instill biblical values and inculcate a Christian culture in the home. Who can measure the long-term effects of nurturing help-less infants, supervising wandering toddlers, disciplining self-willed children, and counseling self-absorbed adolescents? Of family outings planned, traditions built, memories made, books read, songs sung, Scripture taught? That's why motherhood belongs under the heading, "Engage the World"; no one shapes generations or fashions cultures more than mothers.
All of Life
The above paragraphs are merely suggestive examples of how the storyline of Scripture calls us to engage the world in every area of life. Other areas could be considered. Think about the years spent in education. Far from being a holding pattern until we get into the "real world," education is a means to glorify God. Of course, it can—and, in perhaps most cases, it will—prepare me for vocation, but more fundamentally it's a way to love God with all my mind. It alerts me to observe the works of God in creation and history. It equips me to enter into the conversation going on in culture, bringing to that conversation biblical discernment and wisdom. It prepares me to serve others by developing my mind and my gifts and my interests, using all these in the responsibilities God assigns to me and the opportunities he affords me.
What about leisure? For many in our culture, leisure and entertainment are mere distractions, often idolatrous ones. But for the Christian, leisure is a sign—a foretaste of the fullness of joy and richness and rest that awaits us in the new heavens and new earth. We're not robots designed for maxi-mum operating efficiency in strictly utilitarian endeavors. God made us to know him and glorify him forever. Leisure reminds us of this and offers us a taste of this eternal calling in the here and now of this world.
What about the third of our lives spent in sleep? This, too, is a gift from God designed to inform and temper our active involvement in the world. Sleep is not mere inactivity, a brief respite from the important work we have to do in life. Sleep reminds us that God is God and we are not; only he "will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4). As we lay down our weary heads, we're forced to relinquish the illusion of control over our lives and to entrust ourselves to the Lord, who keeps us in all our ways. Ultimately, sleep and rest point us to the rest that finds its fulfillment in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the great rest-giver (Matthew 11:28-30) whose sacrifice on the cross frees us from the futile efforts to atone for our sin, to overcome our depravity, and to commend ourselves to God.
The story of the Bible insists that God's reign extends to every part of creation—indeed, to every facet of our lives. Do you live with such an awareness? This is the point of the apostle Paul's startling metaphor for the Christian life: "a living sacrifice" (Roman 12:1). Every breath offered to God. Every moment lived for God. Sobering? Yes. But also breathtaking. Think about it. All of life affords one long opportunity to experience God, to serve God, to be used by God, as we receive from him our gifts, callings, and opportunities and the power to utilize them for his glory.
To be continued …
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
NOT LOVING YET LOVING THE WORLD Part 1-ENJOY THE WORLD
I have recently read a wonderful little book entitled Worldliness edited by C.J. Mahaney. There is a chapter written by Jeff Purswell on How to love the World that really excited me. Even as we are called to "stop loving the world, and the things of this world" in 1 John 2:15; there is also a sense in which we are to love the world. The apostle John reminds us in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world" and in John 17:8 that it was Christ's intention that the church would be in the world. So the question is how are we to live in this world that God loved and not love it, yet at the same time how can we love this world that God so loved?
Jeff Purswell proposes three God given task that give substance to our loving the world in which we live:
Task 1: Enjoy the World
The "world" we're forbidden to love (1 John 2:15) is not the earthly creation but a world inhabited by people with a mindset of cosmic treason and rebellion towards God. It is mankind in settled opposition to God. That is the world we are to stop loving and setting our hearts on that which is opposed to God.
Geographically speaking, however, this world, in an ultimate sense, is our home. God created it for us, he delegated its development and care to us, and at the consummation he will dwell here with us forever following our resurrection and the world's renewal after Christ's return (Revelation 21:14). Through the lens of a biblical worldview, the material world takes on entirely new dimensions, with new purposes and possibilities for our lives. One of those possibilities is an enhanced enjoyment of the world. As a fellow-heir with Christ of the world, a Christian's enjoyment of it should be deeper, more authentic, more satisfying, and more enduring than that of those who have no share in this inheritance. This enjoyment is rooted in two solid realities.
1. Creation Is God's Witness
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). According to David, the created world isn't simply there; it speaks. Everywhere we look, the world around us bears witness to the Creator, who brought it into existence. As T. M. Moore puts it, "Created things are ambassadors of glory from God to His people." John Piper says that the heavens are God's sky talk crying out that God exists.
David goes on in Psalm 19 to describe the massive scope and magnitude of the creation's communication: "Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:2-4). Purswell says, "A veritable deluge of revelation floods the world from end to end." When we look outside at God's creation the bible tells us that we should be seeing God. Isn't that amazing? Jonathan Edwards says that God reveals Himself through two books: The book of scripture and the book of nature.
Purswell writes, "Moreover, creation doesn't simply give us the vague impression that God is somehow out there somewhere ("He must be there; look at all this stuff!"). True, creation testifies to his reality, but it does more: it communicates real things about God." In speaking of God's general revelation in nature, the apostle Paul notes:
"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Romans 1:19-20)
I love what the author says next. Take the time to really reflect upon these words. Read them slowly and reverently and full of wonder. According to Paul, we can discern certain things about God through what he has made. Roaring seas proclaim his might, towering peaks bespeak his majesty, variegated wild-flowers whisper of his complexity. In these and a million
other ways, "the things that have been made" testify to the nature of the One who made them....the miracle of the new birth, which grants eyes of faith to see the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6), also opens blind eyes to perceive the handwriting of God in creation, which points beyond itself to its Source and Sustainer.
2. Creation Is God's Gift
The second reality that anchors and informs our enjoyment of creation is the sheer fact that God gave creation to us to enjoy. God is such a happy being who delights in our happiness with wonderful gifts to see and savor and enjoy him as they echo and reflect His glory. Purswell writes, In the creation narrative, God locates man in a place of rich provision and enjoyment designed specifically for him. The name Eden itself means "pleasure" or "delight," and Scripture uses the language of plenty, richness, and pleasure to describe its landscape. In the garden was "every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food" (Gen. 2:9). From the beginning, God intended man to experience fellowship with his Creator in a beautiful, unblemished environment. Although the fall brought frustration and corruption even to the natural creation, it remains a gift from God to be acknowledged, appreciated, and enjoyed. '
Indeed, as the Bible's story demonstrates, God is committed to the material world and his redeeming work embraces it. In his rebuke to those who would denigrate the natural world and its pleasures, the apostle Paul affirms, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Jeff Purswell proposes three God given task that give substance to our loving the world in which we live:
Task 1: Enjoy the World
The "world" we're forbidden to love (1 John 2:15) is not the earthly creation but a world inhabited by people with a mindset of cosmic treason and rebellion towards God. It is mankind in settled opposition to God. That is the world we are to stop loving and setting our hearts on that which is opposed to God.
Geographically speaking, however, this world, in an ultimate sense, is our home. God created it for us, he delegated its development and care to us, and at the consummation he will dwell here with us forever following our resurrection and the world's renewal after Christ's return (Revelation 21:14). Through the lens of a biblical worldview, the material world takes on entirely new dimensions, with new purposes and possibilities for our lives. One of those possibilities is an enhanced enjoyment of the world. As a fellow-heir with Christ of the world, a Christian's enjoyment of it should be deeper, more authentic, more satisfying, and more enduring than that of those who have no share in this inheritance. This enjoyment is rooted in two solid realities.
1. Creation Is God's Witness
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). According to David, the created world isn't simply there; it speaks. Everywhere we look, the world around us bears witness to the Creator, who brought it into existence. As T. M. Moore puts it, "Created things are ambassadors of glory from God to His people." John Piper says that the heavens are God's sky talk crying out that God exists.
David goes on in Psalm 19 to describe the massive scope and magnitude of the creation's communication: "Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:2-4). Purswell says, "A veritable deluge of revelation floods the world from end to end." When we look outside at God's creation the bible tells us that we should be seeing God. Isn't that amazing? Jonathan Edwards says that God reveals Himself through two books: The book of scripture and the book of nature.
Purswell writes, "Moreover, creation doesn't simply give us the vague impression that God is somehow out there somewhere ("He must be there; look at all this stuff!"). True, creation testifies to his reality, but it does more: it communicates real things about God." In speaking of God's general revelation in nature, the apostle Paul notes:
"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Romans 1:19-20)
I love what the author says next. Take the time to really reflect upon these words. Read them slowly and reverently and full of wonder. According to Paul, we can discern certain things about God through what he has made. Roaring seas proclaim his might, towering peaks bespeak his majesty, variegated wild-flowers whisper of his complexity. In these and a million
other ways, "the things that have been made" testify to the nature of the One who made them....the miracle of the new birth, which grants eyes of faith to see the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6), also opens blind eyes to perceive the handwriting of God in creation, which points beyond itself to its Source and Sustainer.
2. Creation Is God's Gift
The second reality that anchors and informs our enjoyment of creation is the sheer fact that God gave creation to us to enjoy. God is such a happy being who delights in our happiness with wonderful gifts to see and savor and enjoy him as they echo and reflect His glory. Purswell writes, In the creation narrative, God locates man in a place of rich provision and enjoyment designed specifically for him. The name Eden itself means "pleasure" or "delight," and Scripture uses the language of plenty, richness, and pleasure to describe its landscape. In the garden was "every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food" (Gen. 2:9). From the beginning, God intended man to experience fellowship with his Creator in a beautiful, unblemished environment. Although the fall brought frustration and corruption even to the natural creation, it remains a gift from God to be acknowledged, appreciated, and enjoyed. '
Indeed, as the Bible's story demonstrates, God is committed to the material world and his redeeming work embraces it. In his rebuke to those who would denigrate the natural world and its pleasures, the apostle Paul affirms, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Not only is the world dangerous but it is also the source of life and joy. "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17). Paul seems just as concerned about a failure to appreciate creation as he is about the tendency to worship it. Puswell says that for the enlightened Christian, "the physical world holds great promise as a worship-producing source of pleasure and provision that opens the eyes to God and engenders worship of God."
Thus our obligations as Christians in a beautiful world designed by our creator as a witness to Himself and a gift to His creatures is to study and enjoy the world which we live in. To be alive to His creation and be alive to Him our happy creator.
Purswell says that fulfilling this call will have at least three specific, God-glorifying effects in our lives:
1. Knowing God. Since the creation reveals God, we can expect diligent observation of the world to yield a deeper knowledge of God. ...armed with the teaching of the Bible and working in concert with it, our experience of the physical creation can broaden and strengthen both our grasp of our Creator as well as our enjoyment of him.
He describes some of the experiences of observing God through His wonderful creation:
The vibrant, multihued splendor of clouds framing a sunset palpably nourishes my soul and enriches my grasp of God's beauty. The intricate complexity of a cell under a microscope dazzles my imagination and deepens my appreciation for God's wisdom. The ear-numbing roar of a crashing waterfall confronts me viscerally with God's power. The serenity of bulging, motionless clouds on a still summer day halts the traffic of my mind with God's peace.
In each case, my experience of the natural world power-fully impresses upon me an aspect of scriptural truth. Each second of every day creation proclaims, and through its proclamation enhances our understanding and experience of the God who made and sustains it and who reveals himself to me through it.
2. Imitating God. The physical world offers abundant opportunities for God's image bearers to imitate him, and by so doing to glorify him by reflecting his nature and character. A painter reflects on his canvass the creativity of a wonderful creator, a master painter, who uniquely and creatively and thoughtfully designed and sculpted the universe as well as our own lives. When a thundercloud comes with bolts of lightning and thunder it reminds us of the omnipotent power of a mighty God. When a singers voice sounds like the voice of an angel we get a sense of the beauty of God's own voice. When the sun rises in the morning it reminds us of the light of God over our lives and illuminating all that was covered in nights darkness.
Purswell writes, Of all people, it is the Christian who should appreciate aesthetics, discerning with renewed powers of perception the handiwork of God in creation. And as our own aesthetic achievements reflect his creativity and skill, we join him in expressing and celebrating beauty—a beauty that points us to God and intensifies our delight in him.
3. Delighting in God. The more we learn of God's world and his works, the more cause we have to delight in God and express his praise. The psalmist's experience confirms this observation: "O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. . . . I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being" (Psalm 104:24-25, 33).
All sorts of endeavors hold great potential in this regard, from the scientist who solves a mystery of microbiology to the child who marvels at a firefly. The discovery of new places, the enjoyment of the world's vast variety, new sights, new sounds, new smells, new tastes—God's creation is filled with experiences awaiting to delight our hearts and to elicit praise to the God who made them.
I pray that each of you will begin looking at the world through childlike wonder and perhaps take the time to just be still, look, take in, savor and enjoy, and worship the God who says that all you see is both good and is pointing to a glorious, wonderful, and great maker.
Next time we will learn the second way that we can love the world...
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
GOD'S PASSION FOR YOUR PASSION!
It takes God to love God. Loving God requires a loving God. It takes the passion of God to have a passion for God. To love God as we were made to love Him requires God to take the initiative for only then will slumbering and self centered souls be aroused to seek Him with all of our hearts and relish the revelation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us look at Jesus Christ’s high priestly prayer in John 17. He prayed this the night before He was crucified. It is His longest prayer. At the end of His prayer we see the climax of his desire:
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:24-26).
What is Jesus' final goal for us? "That the love with which you [Father] have loved me may be in them." Jesus' longing and goal is that we see his glory and then that we be able to love what we see with the same love that the Father has for the Son. And he doesn't mean that we merely imitate the love of the Father for the Son. He means the Father's very love becomes our love for the Son – that we love the Son with the love of the Father for the Son. As I said before, it takes God to love God. It takes the passion of God to have a passion for God. God the Father desires to impart His own divine love into the hearts of His redeemed. His Son echoed this desire in the high priestly prayer He prayed right before His death, crying out, "Father, put in them the love with which You love Me!" The love God imparts to us for Him is the same burning desire the Father has for the Son and the Holy Spirit. And we were created, chosen, and saved in order to receive it!
Think about this. The love God has for the Son Jesus is praying that we will have in us! That prayer is also a promise! That is, the love for Jesus in us will be the very Father’s love for the Son. This is the secret of a peculiar passion! We will not merely love Jesus with our paltry love, with our weak and fickle and fleeting and misplaced passion. But our love for Jesus will be infused with the divine love between the Father and the Son. Our destiny is to enter into the "fellowship of the burning heart." The three Persons of the Trinity have burning hearts of love for one another, and the redeemed are beckoned into this fellowship with God's heart.
How? The first time I actually understood what Jesus was saying I found it difficult to believe. How could I love Jesus like God the Father loves His very own Son? Of course no one can love anyone to the same degree or quality that God loves them. But on the other hand, neither can we be as holy as God, yet God says to us, "You shall be holy for I am holy." It is through the power of His Spirit in us that we can walk in holiness. By that same power, we can live our lives with a consuming passion for our Lord.
What God commands us to do-love with the love the Father has for the Son, God also gives the love that we need to love the Son! Remember Augustine who said, “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."
Think about many of the impossible commands that deal with our emotions. Rejoice in the Lord? (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 4:4); “Thou hast put gladness in my heart.” (Psalm 4:7). Obey from the heart? (Deuteronomy 30:2); “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts"(Jeremiah 31:33) Fear the Lord? (Psalm 34:9); “I will put my fear in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:40). Be filled with the Spirit? (Ephesians 5:16); “I will put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 11: 9; Ezekiel 36:27). Dear reader, can you see that God is in the “putting” business!”
So the command of loving God passionately is the prayer of Jesus for you, the promise of Jesus to you, and the provision of Jesus in you. The Holy Spirit pours out God's very affection into the human heart regardless of our sinful, weak, and passionless hearts. It is a supernatural activity that transcends the human condition. As Paul says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit releases in us the capacity to love and know God far beyond our ability with His ability. That is one of the most dynamic dimensions of the grace of God for the redeemed: that our hearts burn with love and are fascinated with the knowledge of God. What God commands, God gives!
If the aim of Jesus in John 17:26 comes true, God’s love for his Son will become our love; God’s passion for His Son will become our passion; and Jesus will be inexhaustible in personal worth. He will never be boring or empty or disappointing or frustrating. No greater treasure could be conceived than Jesus. Moreover, our ability to have a fire and passion and joy in Him will not be limited by human weakness. We will love the Son of God with the very love of his omnipotently loving Father. God’s love for His Son will be in us and it will be ours. And this passion and love will never end, because neither the Father nor the Son never ends. Their love for each other will be our love for them, and therefore, our loving will never die.
Next blog we will see how we can receive this passion.
Prayer
"Father in heaven, I have heard your command to be boiling in my spirit for you. I agree with Your Son Jesus that it is required of me to love You with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength. Yet, I confess that my attempts to love You in the way that You require and the way that You deserve have utterly failed. I thank You that you have heard the prayers of your Son Jesus and so I ask in faith and trust that You would grant to me an impartation of the Holy Spirit to love Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with the very love that You love Him. I ask this in Jesus Name, AMEN!
Let us look at Jesus Christ’s high priestly prayer in John 17. He prayed this the night before He was crucified. It is His longest prayer. At the end of His prayer we see the climax of his desire:
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:24-26).
What is Jesus' final goal for us? "That the love with which you [Father] have loved me may be in them." Jesus' longing and goal is that we see his glory and then that we be able to love what we see with the same love that the Father has for the Son. And he doesn't mean that we merely imitate the love of the Father for the Son. He means the Father's very love becomes our love for the Son – that we love the Son with the love of the Father for the Son. As I said before, it takes God to love God. It takes the passion of God to have a passion for God. God the Father desires to impart His own divine love into the hearts of His redeemed. His Son echoed this desire in the high priestly prayer He prayed right before His death, crying out, "Father, put in them the love with which You love Me!" The love God imparts to us for Him is the same burning desire the Father has for the Son and the Holy Spirit. And we were created, chosen, and saved in order to receive it!
Think about this. The love God has for the Son Jesus is praying that we will have in us! That prayer is also a promise! That is, the love for Jesus in us will be the very Father’s love for the Son. This is the secret of a peculiar passion! We will not merely love Jesus with our paltry love, with our weak and fickle and fleeting and misplaced passion. But our love for Jesus will be infused with the divine love between the Father and the Son. Our destiny is to enter into the "fellowship of the burning heart." The three Persons of the Trinity have burning hearts of love for one another, and the redeemed are beckoned into this fellowship with God's heart.
How? The first time I actually understood what Jesus was saying I found it difficult to believe. How could I love Jesus like God the Father loves His very own Son? Of course no one can love anyone to the same degree or quality that God loves them. But on the other hand, neither can we be as holy as God, yet God says to us, "You shall be holy for I am holy." It is through the power of His Spirit in us that we can walk in holiness. By that same power, we can live our lives with a consuming passion for our Lord.
What God commands us to do-love with the love the Father has for the Son, God also gives the love that we need to love the Son! Remember Augustine who said, “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."
Think about many of the impossible commands that deal with our emotions. Rejoice in the Lord? (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 4:4); “Thou hast put gladness in my heart.” (Psalm 4:7). Obey from the heart? (Deuteronomy 30:2); “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts"(Jeremiah 31:33) Fear the Lord? (Psalm 34:9); “I will put my fear in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:40). Be filled with the Spirit? (Ephesians 5:16); “I will put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 11: 9; Ezekiel 36:27). Dear reader, can you see that God is in the “putting” business!”
So the command of loving God passionately is the prayer of Jesus for you, the promise of Jesus to you, and the provision of Jesus in you. The Holy Spirit pours out God's very affection into the human heart regardless of our sinful, weak, and passionless hearts. It is a supernatural activity that transcends the human condition. As Paul says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit releases in us the capacity to love and know God far beyond our ability with His ability. That is one of the most dynamic dimensions of the grace of God for the redeemed: that our hearts burn with love and are fascinated with the knowledge of God. What God commands, God gives!
If the aim of Jesus in John 17:26 comes true, God’s love for his Son will become our love; God’s passion for His Son will become our passion; and Jesus will be inexhaustible in personal worth. He will never be boring or empty or disappointing or frustrating. No greater treasure could be conceived than Jesus. Moreover, our ability to have a fire and passion and joy in Him will not be limited by human weakness. We will love the Son of God with the very love of his omnipotently loving Father. God’s love for His Son will be in us and it will be ours. And this passion and love will never end, because neither the Father nor the Son never ends. Their love for each other will be our love for them, and therefore, our loving will never die.
Next blog we will see how we can receive this passion.
Prayer
"Father in heaven, I have heard your command to be boiling in my spirit for you. I agree with Your Son Jesus that it is required of me to love You with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength. Yet, I confess that my attempts to love You in the way that You require and the way that You deserve have utterly failed. I thank You that you have heard the prayers of your Son Jesus and so I ask in faith and trust that You would grant to me an impartation of the Holy Spirit to love Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with the very love that You love Him. I ask this in Jesus Name, AMEN!
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