Amazing Love, Even When Life Hurts

By Wendy Wood

     The God who created the universe, the galaxies, the stars, the planets, the earth and everything in it, wrote a book.  He chose to reveal Himself and His purpose in bringing sinners to Himself through Christ. He chose to call us and elect us to unite us to Christ through faith and thereby invite us into relationship with Himself.  He has preserved His word throughout centuries, so that we might study Him and know Him.  This is a loving God.  

     Yet, we doubt His love constantly.  We ask ourselves, if not out loud, “How could a loving God give me this husband?”  “How could a loving God allow my mother to die of cancer?”  “How could a loving God allow a tornado or flood to wipe out thousands of people?”  How could a loving God put me in an unloving family for my childhood?”  “How could a loving God allow me to suffer so long?”   We tend to look at our circumstances to define God’s love, rather than look at scripture and interpret our circumstances through the truth that God reveals about Himself in His word.

God’s love is covenantal

    In Jeremiah 31:3 God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  God’s love is everlasting because He is everlasting in character.  His love is based on who He is, not who you are.  Deuteronomy 7:6-9 shows us that God’s love was set on us by His choosing.  We cannot lose His love because we did nothing to earn it or deserve it to begin with.  

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”  (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

God’s love is covenantal love.  He swears by His own name that He will love His people.  When our circumstances tempt us to question and doubt God’s love, we must go to His word and renew our minds in the amazing faithfulness of His love.  His love is set on us by His purpose, and nothing can thwart His purpose.  (Job 42:2).

God’s love is compassionate

     God’s love is not only everlasting, it is compassionate and gentle.  Psalm 91 is a beautiful picture of His love as protection and refuge in times of distress. 

 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness is a shield and buckler” (vs 1-4).  

God paints a picture of Himself as a bird with large wings which He uses to protect His young and vulnerable children.  He covers us in His love and promises that nothing can harm us in the eyes of eternity.  Isaiah 40:11 draws a picture of God as the Good Shepherd protecting His sheep under his arm and carrying a wounded lamb next to His warmth.  God does not promise that we will be free from experiencing hardships and trials.  In fact, much of scripture tells us that all true children of God will experience suffering and persecution.  However, God’s love is gentle and protecting.  His love is a refuge and shelter in those times of hurting.  When we feel like our circumstances have taken us out of God’s loving care, we must go back to His word and who He reveals Himself to be.  God is the protector and keeper of our souls - our eternal being that will be with Him forever.  He is holding our salvation and eternity in the shelter of His wing and under the refuge of His arm.  Your feelings are not real.  Your thoughts determine how you will respond to your hardships.  Set your mind on the Truth.  God’s love is gentle, protecting, and compassionate.

God’s love on the cross

     Nowhere do we see God’s amazing love more on display than on the cross.  Even before ever getting to the cross, Jesus endured injurious treatment.  Matthew 27 tells us “they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.  And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the rove and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him” (vs 27-30).  Why did a loving God allow His Son to endure such treatment?  First and foremost because He is displaying His glory - the beauty of His character in holiness, righteousness, mercy, grace, justice, wrath, love.  He is zealous for His glory but when we are in Christ, our good is tied to His glory.  Jesus suffered and died because it glories Him and we see that in His love for us!  On the cross, the crowd and soldiers continue to mock him and falsely accuse Him of lying and blasphemy.  Jesus experiences the ultimate suffering when He cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Here we would be tempted to question God’s love if we were the ones on the cross.  Yet, Jesus commits His Spirit to His Father and willingly dies to fulfill the will of God.  God’s love for Jesus, and us, kept Jesus on the cross for three hours.  God loved Jesus (“This is my Son, whom I love”) and us so much that he ordained Jesus to suffer and die in our place (Acts 2:23).  Jesus endured the complete wrath of God for our sins.  God determined how much and how long Jesus’ suffering would be because He loved Jesus completely.  Jesus knew that “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2) to glorify God and be in His Father’s presence was worth it.  Jesus trusted His Father completely that this was the way to victory and, in Jesus’ case, re-uniting with the Father. Why three hours?  God does not reveal everything to us (Deuteronomy 29:29).  You can be sure that whatever the length of your suffering, it is the right duration.  God loves us so much, that He purposed Jesus to suffer beyond description, so that we could be united with Him through faith by grace.  When the temptation to doubt God’s love and care for you comes, stop and think about the cross.  Think about God choosing His Son, whom He loves, to suffer the entirety of God’s wrath on Himself, to rescue you from eternal separation from Him.  There can be no doubt of the genuine, strong love of God in the face of the cross.

God’s love is for your sake

     One of the hardest times to trust God’s love is when a trial is continuing on for a length of time and you start to despair that God has forgotten you.  John 11 is my favorite view of God’s unusual way to love us.  Here, Jesus is across the Jordan doing ministry with His disciples.  Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus is sick.  Twice, within three verses, scripture mentions that these are people Jesus loved (vs 3 and 5).  Yet, when Jesus hears that someone He loves is sick, He doesn’t rush to Lazarus’ side to heal him.  John 11:5-6 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”  What?!  Jesus loved them.  How could a loving God not rush to their sides to immediately take care of the situation and remove the suffering?  God has already provided the answer in verse 4.  “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”.  Jesus loved them TOO much to rescue them immediately from this suffering.  He has greater plans for them to simply live a comfortable and easy life.  Verse 15 says, “and for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.”  Wow!  Could it be that your suffering is FOR YOUR SAKE?  Could it be that God loves you too much to cut your suffering short and not allow it to produce in you all that is meant to?  Could it be that God loves too much to end the trial before you give Him glory?  God knows that true joy and life are found only in glorifying Him.  Your trial, your difficult situation, is for your sake.  It is designed by the love of God, SO THAT you may believe, give glory to God, and find true joy.  

     And then, Jesus acts.  We see Jesus “deeply moved” in verse 38.  Jesus hears the doubt of his friends and their questioning of His motives and He is grieved for their hearts and souls.  Jesus is FOR us.  And that means that He does whatever it takes to reveal His glory and draw us to Himself because as we delight in Him, we glorify Him. It is all linked to His love.  Jesus cares about Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and He cares about you.   He was moved by compassion.  Jesus was affected by the doubts, questions,  pain, and sadness of those He loved.  He then acts on their behalf.  He calls Lazarus out of the grave, just as He will call us out of the grave for eternity.  We will rise when He calls us home, too.  God’s love is compassionate.  God is standing outside of time looking through the lens of eternity.  The situation with Lazarus was playing a bigger role from that eternal perspective than just a family hurting over the death of a loved one.  Your suffering is playing a bigger role in the perspective of eternity than you can see.  It will take trust and faith in God, and in His love, to endure joyfully and trust His love.

Your response to God’s love

     God’s love is not in question.  That circumstance, that broken relationship, that illness, that trial that has gone on for years and years, is evidence of God’s love for you.  Will you trust Him?  Will you give thanks to God that He loves you too much to cut the suffering short?  Will you thank Him for not rushing to rescue you immediately because He has something greater planned?

     God’s love is beyond description and, frankly, beyond understanding.  But God makes Himself known in His Word.  Dig in.  Feast on the amazing love of God as revealed by Him.

What Makes Saving Faith Saving?

By Wendy Wood

Years ago as I was parenting very young children, I read an article by Tedd Tripp called “A Child’s Call to Faith”. Tripp’s goal in the article was to help parents understand the difference between their children having head knowledge and assent to the truth of God and His word, compared to a salvific trusting in God.  The distinction between knowing, believing (assenting) and trusting is huge, though often mistaken.  Understanding where we, and our children,  fall on this spectrum is crucial!  It is the difference between spending eternity with God or apart from Him.  While we don’t know our own hearts perfectly, or other people’s hearts perfectly, examining the fruit of a person’s life will give insight to the depth of their knowing, believing, or trusting God.

Everyone who comes to faith in Christ must have knowledge.  A believer places their trust and hope in a Person.  Knowledge about God, His attributes, His purpose in all things to bring about His glory, His plan for salvation through Christ are essential truths that must be known.  Before a person can believe and trust in Christ as Lord and Savior, he must that he is a sinner, and he must know that Christ lived a perfect life, was fully human and fully God, and was the atonement for sins on the cross that satisfied God’s wrath against us sinners for all who would repent and follow Him.  Our job as parents is to continue to teach and provide knowledge of God through His word.

Our children need to know more about God.  They need to learn about God’s sovereignty and providence over all His creation.  They need to know how God’s holiness sets Him apart from all other beings and that His moral perfection is the very essence of His wrath and His grace.  God describes Himself in scripture and it is our job as parents to give our children a high view of Him.  In the midst of difficult circumstances everyone needs to be reminded (or taught) about how great God is.  Knowledge of Christ and His redemptive work is also essential to teach.  Christ, as the exact imprint of God, gives us a clearer view of God’s compassion and judgment on sin.  Knowledge must precede faith.  Faith is not to be in the absence of truth.  We place our faith in God.  

The Pharisees are a good example of people who stopped at knowledge.  The Pharisees were experts in the law.  They knew all of God’s law from the Old Testament and knit-picked every single one.  In Matthew 23 Jesus issues His seven ‘woes’ to the Pharisees.  Each ‘woe to you’ is about how they knew the law, but didn’t love God or others.  Knowledge was not enough for faith.  They focused on minutiae and ignored the larger Truth about God’s attributes and purpose.

In our children, this head knowledge might show up as a compliant child or teen.  Children who grow up in the church learn the behaviors and right answers to church questions.  They may gladly come to church or life group and be known as a “good kid” and yet not have a saving faith.  In our desperate desire for our children to be saved, we can rush into getting them to “pray a prayer of salvation” at a young age and cling to that.  One way to think about this is, a person can study space.  They can learn all about the planets and their atmospheres.  They can study the moons around each planet and learn about gravitational pulls and why each planet has a different number of moons. They might study asteroids and comets and learn the names and trajectories of each one.  Yet all this knowledge, all these “right answers” does not make them astronauts.  Head knowledge is never enough to make someone a true Christian either.  Knowledge is a necessary component of faith, but on its own, it does not produce salvation.

Believing is one more step down the road to saving faith.  Believing is giving assent to the knowledge.  Webster’s dictionary defines assent as  “to agree to or approve of something (such as an idea or suggestion) especially after thoughtful consideration : Concur”.  Where knowledge can say “I know that Jesus is the person Christians believe died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins”, someone who believes that truth would say “I am persuaded that Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins”.  Where some might reject the knowledge outright and say “I don’t believe that at all, it’s just a fictitious story”, a person who gives assent to this truth can approve and agree with what Christ has done.  This is still not saving faith.

The demons believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that He was sent into the world to be the Savior for all who would trust in Him.  In Mark 5 Jesus comes to the land of the Gerasenes and comes to a man who lives among the tombs.  As Jesus approaches this man, the demons cry out with a loud voice “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7).  The demons know who Jesus is!  They address Jesus as the Son of the Most High God showing their belief in Jesus’ power and deity.  These demons know that Jesus can cast them out of the man they are dwelling in and are begging Jesus not to do that.  A few verses later the demons say, “Send us to the pigs, let us enter them’ (Mark 5:11).   The demons have given thoughtful consideration to Jesus and agree that He is truly God.  Yet, they do not have salvation.  The demons will spend eternity separated from God in hell because they do not have saving faith.

Because our children grow up hearing their parents affirm these truths, they may readily agree that Jesus is the Savior of the world and be able to see the difference in other’s lives who are truly redeemed and transformed into Christlikeness.  They will pray and ask God to do them favors, as the demons did in the story of Mark 5.  They will want the benefits of being a child of God without the sacrifice and commitment necessary to be a follower of Christ.  They may be confused as to why the fruit of their life is still producing anxiety, frustration, and broken relationships.  They may be confused about why they keep struggling with anger and feel defeated by the on-going, repetitive sins in their lives.  They will by trying really hard to get biblical principles to “work for them” but not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them to produce genuine fruit.  John Piper says, “But being persuaded that Christ and his promises are factual is not by itself saving faith.  That is why some professing Christians will be shocked at the last day, when they hear him say, “I never knew you,” even though they protest that he is “Lord, Lord”.  Believing that Christ and his promises are true, based on a testimony, is a necessary part of faith.  But it is not sufficient to turn faith into saving faith” (Future Grace, page 199).  This person is not truly in a relationship with God.

Saving faith comes when a person apprehends the truths about Christ in a different way.  Saving faith is a genuine trusting of the Lord where who God is and what He is for us in Christ changes the way we live every moment of every day.  John Piper is again helpful in explaining this truth.  “This different way is what [Charles] Hodge calls a ‘spiritual apprehension of truth’.  He says, ‘It is a faith which rests upon the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of the excellence, beauty, and suitableness of the truth… It arises from a spiritual apprehension of the truth, or from the testimony of the Spirit with and by the truth of our hearts’” (Future Grace page 199).  When a person has saving faith in God, God is treasured, savored, and delighted in.  

Picture the parable of the hidden treasure from Matthew 13.  When a person has the knowledge and belief of who Christ is, and is willing to sell all he has and pursue Christ alone, he has truly tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord through the Holy Spirit enlightening the eyes of his heart.  This love of God, this delighting in Him, comes from the Holy Spirit and produces the fruit of Spirit in a life that is unmistakable as saving faith.  The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control replace the fruit of anxiety, frustration, broken relationships, and fear.  “Another way to say it would be that, in all the acts of saving faith, the Holy Spirit enables us not just to perceive and affirm factual truth, but also to apprehend and embrace spiritual beauty.  It is the ‘embracing of spiritual beauty’ that is the essential core of saving faith.  This is what I mean by ‘being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.’ Spiritual beauty is the beauty of God diffused in all his words and works - especially in the saving work of his Son.  Embracing this, or delighting in it, or being satisfied with it, is the heart of saving faith” (John Piper, Future Grace page 205). Apprehending and embracing is the evidence of a new heart and a new creation.

A child who knows, believes, and trusts (and delights) in God is a joy to every parent.  There may be ups and downs along the journey of parenting, but there is a genuine desire to surrender their will to God’s will, a deep repentance for sin, a love of God’s word and enjoyment of spending time with Him. John Piper calls this “seeing and savoring” Christ.  As our children see the truth laid out for them in scripture and as the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to see and their ears to hear, they see God as beautiful.  As they see the beauty of His nature and understand His works at a greater depth, they savor the love, mercy, grace, and holiness of God more and more.  

Picture yourself sitting down to your favorite meal.  As you take a bite of your favorite dish you sit back, close your eyes, and experience all the details of the texture and flavors. You take time to think about how much you love this meal and even tell the cook how great it is.  That is what savoring God should be.  We should read His word and sit back, taking our time to appreciate how loving, compassionate, and merciful God is.  We should take time to think about all the blessings He has given us in Christ and then exclaim to God how great He is in praise and worship.  Giving voice to that enjoyment in prayer and praise grows our delight even more.  The evidence of saving faith is the treasuring of Christ that transforms the follower of Christ from one degree of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Here is an analogy that I often use to explain this concept.  

Nick Wallenda is a professional and famous tightrope walker.  He has walked across tightropes over the Grand Canyon and Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua  without a safety net below him. In 2012, Wallenda arrived at Niagara Falls on June 15, and there was a huge crowd waiting to watch him work. Picture themself in the crowd.  As the crowd watches the tightrope being laid out across the falls and secured carefully on the ends, what are they thinking?  They watch Wallenda walk across the tightrope and easily cross Niagara Falls 1,800 feet above ground.  As he comes to the end of the rope and safely gets down, they KNOW he can walk across a tightrope.  

Then, Wallenda asks the crowd, “Do you think I can walk across the rope while pushing a wheelbarrow?”  The crowd is cheers and screams “yes”.  The crowd is in agreement that Wallenda can do it and enthusiastically wants to see it.  Wallenda gets up on the tightrope with the wheelbarrow and carefully walks safely across again.  There are no wobbles or moments of doubt.  The crowd now BELIEVES Wallenda is the greatest tightrope walker of all time.

For his third pass across the falls, Wallenda asks the crowd, “Who thinks I can go across pushing the wheelbarrow while a person rides inside it?”  The crowd all cheers and replies “yes, we believe you can do it!”.  Nick Wallenda then points at you and says “get in and I’ll push you across”.  What would you do?  Do you get in the wheelbarrow or think ‘that’s fine for other people but there’s no way I’m risking my life for that!’.  

That is the level of TRUST.  Someone who knows the facts and gives assent to the truth is not really trusting until they are ready to give up their way of life for the truth.  Trust changes the way we live.  When we are trusting (seeing and savoring) Christ, we live in surrender and obedience to Him.  

Jesus said “If you love me, you will obey my commands” (John 14:15).  Treasuring Christ, seeing him as beautiful, glorious, and delighting in Him, leads us to want to please Him and live wholeheartedly for Him.  Trusting involves action and obedience.  

The Gospel Motivates Obedience

By Wendy Wood

Scripture is written in “indicative” and “imperative” format.  An indicative is defined as “showing, signifying, or pointing out”.  An indicative is used to show the cause behind a behavior.  We are sinners, so we sin.  The phrase “we are sinners” is indicative.  It states what has already happened and is a foregone conclusion.  “We sin” is what the indicative points out.  An imperative is a command.  “Go clean up your room” is an imperative statement.  Scripture uses these two types of writing to show what the gospel (the indicatives) should produce in us (the imperatives). 

Colosians 3:12-13 is a concise example:

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

The indicative (the reasons behind the commands) are that we are already chosen by God.  We are holy and beloved.  We’ve been forgiven by the Lord.

Therefore (Scripture often uses “therefore” or “so that” to separate indicative from imperative)

The imperatives then state that we are to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, bear with one another, and forgive.

The only hope we have to live this way is what Christ has already done for us (the indicative).  Jesus came and endured every type of temptation and did not sin.  Jesus was mocked and beaten and hung on the cross without sin.  Jesus took all the sins of all believers of all time on himself and was crucified and forsaken by God satisfying the holy and just God’s wrath against sin.  He then arose, setting us free from death and sin, and ascended to heaven where He continues to be enthroned and is our Mediator before God.  He left the Holy Spirit to empower us so that we can be obedient to His commands to continue His work of glorifying God by the way we live. 

That’s why the gospel matters everyday.  What Jesus has accomplished and completed, allows us to put off our sinful ways through His Spirit, and put on Christlike desires, attitudes, words, and actions.

Look at Romans 6:5-14.

In Romans 6:5-10 Paul tells us what Christ has already accomplished.  Paul even “sandwiches” the rest of the passage by going back to indicatives in verses 12-14. Make a list of the “indicatives” about what Christ has done:

1. Vs 5 - we are united with Christ in death

2. Vs 5 - we are united with Christ in resurrection - raising from the dead

3. Vs 6 - our sinful self was crucified with him

4. Vs 6 - we are no longer slaves to sin

5. Vs 8 - we are raised from the dead and will not die again

6. Vs 9 - death has no dominion over Him

7. Vs 10 - He died to sin, once for all (only one time sacrifice was necessary)

8. Vs 10 - He lives for God

9. Vs 14 - Sin has no dominion over you

10. Vs - You are under grace, not law

As a result of the things listed above, what Christ has already accomplished for us, we are given “imperatives” or commands to be followed.  Make a list of what we are to do.

1. Vs 11 - So consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ

2. Vs 12 - Let not sin therefore reign in your body

3. Vs 13 - Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness

4. Vs 13 - Present yourselves to God as one brought from death to life

5. Vs 13 - Present your members to God for instruments of righteousness

These are only possible when we are saved by grace through faith in Christ for God’s glory.  All of what Christ accomplished is a gift (grace).  God opens our eyes to our need for Christ (faith) and we put our trust in Him.  It is only Christ, Son of God and Son of man, who could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin.  And our motive for being obedient, must be for God’s glory, that as we live God’s power and holiness is evident and others see it and give God praise.

Summary:

Indicatives are facts. They are realities. And in the Bible, they are firm and secure because the Bible is the unchanging Word of God.

The imperatives are commands or implications. They are statements of direction, made with authority, that have a direct and expected act of obedience expected to follow.

Your turn.  The book of Ephesians is written in this format (as is most of the bible!).  Read Ephesians chapters 1 - 3 and make a list of ALL that God has done through Christ (indicatives).  You should have at least 25 things that have been accomplished by Christ for your salvation.

Then, read Ephesians 4 - 6.  Because of what Christ has done, therefore, you are to live obediently to God.  Make a list of God’s commands (imperatives) in these chapters.

As you practice obedience this week and for the rest of your life, you must recall what Christ has done for you.  Be awed, amazed, thankful, and excited to love God for who He is and what He has done.  That is where God glorifying lives come from.

Other passages to consider:  Make lists for these passages over the next few weeks.

Colossians 3:1-17

Romans 1-11 (indicatives) and 12-16 (imperatives)

Philippians 2:1-17

Be on the lookout for this pattern in Scripture.  It is only through Christ that we can be obedient, to His praise, glory and honor!

The Greatest Need in the World

By Brad Wetherell

In the first paragraph of his classic book, Preaching & Preachers D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes:

“The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” [1]

Is Lloyd-Jones right? Of all the needs in the church and in the world today, is faithful preaching actually the greatest?

Yes. And here’s why:

What is humanity’s deepest need?

Humanity’s greatest need is sight. We are all born blind. Not physically, but spiritually. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul makes a sweeping statement about our natural human condition. He writes:

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Think about what he’s saying. The god of this world (note the small “g”) has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Satan’s greatest victory on planet earth is the blindness he has brought into the lives of every fallen human since Adam and Eve. What are we incapable of seeing? The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. From birth, the eyes of our minds and hearts cannot see the truth and the goodness and the beauty of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation and the Savior of sinners. And if we remain unable to see him and believe in him, we will go to hell. No one comes to the Father, except through Jesus (Jn. 14:6). “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Therefore, avoiding an eternity of wrath, and enjoying an eternity of glory, depends on the ability to see the truth about Jesus. And since everyone is naturally blind to this reality, what greater need could there possibly be than to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ?

The illuminating power of true preaching

Lloyd-Jones was wise to modify the word “preaching” with the word “true.” There is plenty of false preaching that will not do any church or any person any good. Preaching that proclaims a “gospel” reducing the blessing of Jesus to health, wealth, and prosperity in this life is false, and worthless. Preaching that proclaims a “gospel” calling men and women to work their way into a right relationship with God is false, and worthless. Preaching that proclaims a “gospel” promising the favor of God to all people of all religious persuasions regardless of their faith in Christ is false, and worthless.

But true preaching of the true gospel cures satanic blindness and imparts spiritual sight. Again, in 2 Corinthians 4 Paul writes, “What we proclaim [preach!] is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:5-6). When the true gospel is preached, in the same way that God said, “let there be light” at the beginning of creation, he opens the blind eyes of men and women to show them the light of the glory of Christ. Paul experienced this first hand, and the entirety of his ministry was focused on the kind of work that allows others to experience this miracle of grace, as well. “Him [Jesus] we proclaim [preach],” Paul writes to the Colossians, “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28).

In God’s grace, and by his power, true preaching opens blind eyes to the glory of Jesus and matures believers until the day we stand in his presence. There is no greater need on planet Earth than this.

You know this

Preacher, you know these things. You’re giving your life to proclaim the glories of Jesus because you know that his gospel is the power of God “for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). And yet, as the years pass and perhaps you don’t see as many blind eyes opened as you desire, it can be tempting to divert from the course. Resist this. Resist the pull toward novelty for novelty’s sake. Resist the pull to tweak your teaching that it might better align with the contemporary mood. Resist the pull to water the message down. Don’t lose heart. Renounce underhanded ways. Refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word (2 Cor. 4:1-2). Preach the gospel, and leave the results in God’s sovereign hands.

Christian, you know these things. You see the glory of Jesus because someone preached the gospel to you. Pray for your pastor, asking God to keep him faithful to this task. Pray for his preaching, asking God to use it to open the eyes of many more and to mature you in your own faith. And proclaim Christ yourself, whenever the opportunity comes, that more people might see what you see.

The day is coming when every eye will see Jesus (Rev. 1:7). For those who see him in this life, that day will be full of joy, leading into an eternity of glory. For those who do not see him in this life, that day will be full of sorrow, leading to an eternity of shame. Seeing the glory of Christ now, and responding in faith, is the most urgent and important matter we face. And that is why preaching the glory of Christ, and calling people to faith, is the most urgent and important and greatest need of the world.

_____

1. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching & Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 17.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2021/01/greatest-need-in-the-world/

THE “HOW” WITHOUT THE “WHY”

Danny Loeffelholz

I’ve always been cursed with a chronic question. As a child, I continually asked my father and mother, “Why do I have to go to bed at an early hour?” “Why must I brush my teeth?” “Why do I have to eat these tasteless green beans?” I’ve asked the question “Why?” for a long time. I cannot imagine how sanctifying this must have been for my parents! As a pimpled-faced teenager, my craving to know the reasons behind what I was wondering only intensified: “Why must I have a curfew?” “Why can’t I have more freedoms?” “Why should I get a summer job?”

Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author, explains a parent’s challenge with the “Why” question: “Often we don’t know the real answers to the innocent questions they ask, but even when we do, our answers don’t slow the pace of their relentless questions.” Dr. Greene thinks we misunderstand the child’s language. He goes on to say that, we “think that when they ask ‘Why?’ they mean the same thing we mean when we ask” that question. “Our cause-and-effect answers miss the mark, and so they fail to satisfy.”  

WE NEVER GRADUATE FROM THE QUESTION 

There’s something very insightful about that last line, “Our cause-and-effect answers miss the mark, and so they fail to satisfy.” I’m not sure we ever graduate from asking why things are the way that they are. Even as adults, there is something within us that desires to know the motivation, purpose, and truth behind what we observe. 

Dr. Greene explains a parent’s frustration when asked, “Why?” boils down to not knowing the actual answer to the child’s inquiry. Could it be with the “Why” of Christianity we often feel a colossal tension between the need to ask “Why?” and the frustration of not knowing the answer? 

It’s almost like our inner child is pestering the inner parent in us with “Why?” and our inner parent just succumbs to defeat for not knowing how to respond to the question.

UNDERSTANDING THE “WHY” FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE  

This can be a significant problem for Christians. The problem exists when men and women know and try to live out the “How” without the “Why.” This was my struggle as a Christian for many years. 

Immediately after placing my trust in Christ, I was taught about praying, reading my Bible, sharing my faith, having excellent character, and making wise decisions. Each of these are rightful activities of the Christian life. What became problematic for me was my possessing a clear understanding of the “How” of Christianity, without really grasping the “Why” yet.

What then is the purpose behind the Christian life? Is the purpose to earn God’s love and approval? Is the purpose to be a good person and treat others well? Is the purpose to not disappoint your Christian parents? I don’t believe so.

Paul helps us answer this question in Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” According to the Apostle Paul, the purpose behind a believer’s life is the gospel. It’s a call to allow the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to sink down in you to the degree that the gospel recolors your world, transforms your views, and reshapes your motivations. God has designed for the gospel to be the sufficient reason for our lives because it is the power of God in our lives (Rom. 1:16). An actual power that’s able to redeem, reconcile, adopt, and transform!

When you know the gospel as the driving-purpose of the Christian life, then the means of living the Christian life becomes more obvious and natural. Far too many Christians attempt to manufacture Christian behavior through their own effort—this leads to unmet expectations and endless frustrations. This reality emphasizes the importance for us to understand the gospel as our “Why” and how it practically changes our lives.

GOSPEL MOTIVATION FOR HOW THE CHURCH LIVES 

The gospel acting as the primary motivation behind how we live is a constant theme throughout the New Testament. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2). The book of Ephesians is concerned with who the church is now—because of the gospel—in Christ. One can sense Paul’s passionate plea that an experience of being loved by God through the gospel is unparalleled. 

Christ’s love compels our hearts so much that we can no longer consider another love to match what Christ has wrapped us in. Paul’s point is simple; the only way we can truly love people in relationship must come from the compelling love of Christ for you. 

Elsewhere, the gospel acting as the primary motivation behind how we live is thematic in the New Testament. When challenging the Corinthian church towards a life of generosity, Paul doesn’t seek to provoke generosity by commanding or guilting. Instead, Paul allows the generosity Christ has poured out through the gospel to be the driving force of the church’s generous lifestyles because at the center of Christianity is an act of uncommon generosity. 

In fact, Paul proclaims, “I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:8-9). This means that our grasping of Jesus’s radical generosity will parallel the amount of generosity evidenced in our lives.  

Of course, a life of love and generosity are not the only the examples of the New Testaments emphasis on the gospel serving as the “Why” the Christian life. The list continues as the gospel motivates extending forgiveness, serving others, seeking reconciliation, enduring in patience, having a selfless marriage, just to name a few. 

PURPOSE FOR DARK DAYS

When I was a senior in high school, I experienced a pain unlike any pain I’ve ever known. Just four days before my high school graduation, my father passed away from an infection in his brain. My pain and sorrow led me to the common question, “God, why would you allow this to happen to our family?” Throughout the past twenty-five years, God has never really answered my question of “Why, Lord?” 

It has been a quarter of a century of missing my dad. Missing conversations over Oklahoma Sooners Football. Feeling his absence in our family vacation photo with my mom, my sister and her family, and my family. Wishing that he could have met my wife, Kara, and our three boys.

Some days of living in a broken world just feel dark. Far too often we experience the reality of pain. Sorrow, difficulty, and suffering all appear inescapable. Yet knowing your why plays a vital role in our days of darkness (2 Cor. 4:8-10; 1 Peter 5:10). Just to clarify, I’m not contending that God always provides us with the exact “Why” behind each experience of suffering in our lives. But there is comfort provided to us in our pain.

Sometimes, God shows us the reason he has walked us through pain and difficulty, and sometimes God­—in his infinite wisdom—withholds that information. His ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8-9). However, God has provided followers of Christ with a greater reason that supplies comfort and perspective in times of darkness. 

In my days of sorrow, the gospel has been the “Why” to provide comfort and to bring perspective. Comfort by knowing Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection assures that nothing can separate me from the covenant he has made with us (Rom. 8). The perspective of knowing these troubling moments of my soul are not the end. For one day Christ will fully restore all that was broken by the fall and sorrow will have no presence or future.

PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE 

I often wonder if our Christian lives can easily be explained through being nice, morally decent, or ascribing to a faith out of family tradition? Is the world really impressed by this explanation of our lives? In his book Gospel Fluency, Jeff Vanderstelt asks a significant question, “I wonder how often our good, moral lives, disconnected from any gospel explanation, convince people they don’t need Jesus?”

When considering your life, what is the “Why” that explains your life? It’s fascinating to meet a gospel-transformed person who’s different from the spiritually-numb family they grew up in. What about a gospel-transformed person who now, as a young adult, differs from the spiritually-devoid peer group they were so engaged with in high school? Or what about the gospel-transformed person, who once journeyed the way of the prodigal, giving their life to reckless living and self-indulgence, but now has been found and saved by grace? What on earth explains such transformation? The gospel is the only explanation for all of these! 

In fact, the gospel is the most profound and sufficient “Why” that your life could ever have.

Danny Loeffelholz lives in Tyler, Texas with his wife Kara and their three sons. He has a PhD. in expository preaching and pulpit communication from Trinity Theological Seminary. Danny is a pastor at Grace Community Church (Tyler, TX), and previously served on staffs at Pine Cove Camps (Tyler, TX) and Grace Community Church (Bartlesville, OK). You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter (@dannyl76).

Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/how-without-why

Our Greatest Need: Restoration

Dan Wells

In a world where so much has been lost, destroyed, forsaken, and forgotten, the human heart naturally longs for restoration. In today’s world, there is a longing for the restoration of truth, because truth has been obscured, hidden, and dismissed. There is a longing for restoration of civility, because we are being driven apart by violent, malevolent hordes, self-serving politicians, and vitriolic commentators. There is a longing for justice, because so many have been falsely accused while the guilty walk free. There is a longing for the restoration of marriage, because it has been redefined and abandoned. There is a longing for the restoration of peace, integrity, honesty, equity, and every institution that is good, because the world is governed by evil forces.

There are no stronger longings for restoration than those expressed in God’s Word. For forty years in the desert, Moses presided over a people who longed to be restored to their land. In the time of the Judges, the people longed to be restored to nationhood under a king. David longed to be restored to the fullness of worship where God dwells. Jeremiah and Ezekiel, among other prophets, wrote about the longing of God’s people for the restoration of Israel from the Babylonian captivity. A land, a king, worship, and rescue – all of these are given when God restores our fellowship with Him in Christ.

The Ultimate Restoration: Fellowship with God

The more that is lost, the stronger the longing for restoration. Never was so much lost as when the human race was given over to sin. The fall of mankind (Gen. 3) resulted in our being alienated from God. The removal of that fellowship was the biggest loss in history. It is the loss behind every other loss.

So, we long for restoration of fellowship with God. There is even a whole season, Advent, devoted to our hearts’ longing to be restored to that fellowship. God gave us this longing, because it was in His heart from before the earth was formed to deliver it. He loves to restore. He is a restoring God who knows our needs.

God’s Means: Redemption

When we think of our greatest need, we usually think of redemption, because if we are not redeemed, we will die in our sins and be cast into hell. Sin brings death and judgment, so we must be purchased out of that judgment. We must be redeemed from the penalty that our sins deserve in order to avoid eternal judgment. In God’s beloved Son, and only in Him, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14, cf v. 20). If Jesus does not take our evil deeds upon Himself and die on a cross, we cannot be reconciled to God (Col. 1:21-22).

But God’s program for the world is far greater than individual redemption: it is the total restoration of all that was lost in the fall of mankind.

In other words, we are not only redeemed from something (judgment). We are also redeemed to something. Colossians 1 reminds us that we were ransomed out of the pit of darkness and destruction. But it goes beyond that. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13, italics mine). We had to be redeemed from sin so that we can be restored to fellowship with God. Restoration is the essence of redemption!

The limitless reach of God’s restoring work is breathtaking.

It is easy to think of redemption as the ultimate end, but restoration means that there is more to redemption than the promise of eternal life. The lives of the redeemed are restored to good purpose on earth. God’s restored people “bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-12). We are empowered to walk in obedience and live in harmony with others.

Restoration also makes it possible for us to train our affections – to love God and love others in this life (Matt. 22:37-39). After all, the believer is headed for a place where those affections have been perfected. So, we must see Jesus as glorious and desirable, and we must love the Church. Jesus is the one who redeems and restores us to fellowship with God and with the saints in light.

Far-reaching Effects

God loves to restore. He restored Job’s fortunes (Job 42), Naaman’s flesh from leprosy (2 Kings 5), Hezekiah’s life (Is. 38), David’s soul (Ps. 23) and the joy of his salvation (Ps. 51), and Nebuchadnezzar after he had become like a beast in the field (Dan. 4). He restores lands, borders, inheritances, temples, health, life, repentance, and the priesthood. Whatever He decides to restore, He restores. He even restores youth (Ps. 103)!

At the pinnacle of redemptive history, when God restores all things, He will gather us together (see Deut. 30:3) from every tribe and tongue and nation (Rev. 7:9-10). It is hard to believe there is something better than redemption. But there is, and it means a lot in these troubled times. God is going to restore society as it was meant to be – people living in unity of purpose, gladly submitting to the perfect will of God, who binds us together.

Behold, I am making all things new (Rev. 21:5).

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/08/greatest-need-restoration/

Moralism is Not the Gospel (But Many Christians Think It Is)

Al Mohler

One of the most amazing statements by the Apostle Paul is his indictment of the Galatian Christians for abandoning the Gospel. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel,” Paul declared. As he stated so emphatically, the Galatians had failed in the crucial test of discerning the authentic Gospel from its counterfeits.

His words could not be more clear: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you have received, he is to be accursed!” [Gal. 1:6-7]

This warning from the Apostle Paul, expressed in the language of the Apostle’s shock and grief, is addressed not only to the church in Galatia, but to every congregation in every age. In our own day — and in our own churches — we desperately need to hear and to heed this warning. In our own time, we face false gospels no less subversive and seductive than those encountered and embraced by the Galatians.

In our own context, one of the most seductive false gospels is moralism. This false gospel can take many forms and can emerge from any number of political and cultural impulses. Nevertheless, the basic structure of moralism comes down to this — the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior.

Sadly, this false gospel is particularly attractive to those who believe themselves to be evangelicals motivated by a biblical impulse. Far too many believers and their churches succumb to the logic of moralism and reduce the Gospel to a message of moral improvement. In other words, we communicate to lost persons the message that what God desires for them and demands of them is to get their lives straight.

In one sense, we are born to be moralists. Created in God’s image, we have been given the moral capacity of conscience. From our earliest days our conscience cries out to us the knowledge of our guilt, shortcomings, and misbehaviors. In other words, our conscience communicates our sinfulness.

Add to this the fact that the process of parenting and child rearing tends to inculcate moralism from our earliest years. Very quickly we learn that our parents are concerned with our behavior. Well behaved children are rewarded with parental approval, while misbehavior brings parental sanction. This message is reinforced by other authorities in young lives and pervades the culture at large.

Writing about his own childhood in rural Georgia, the novelist Ferrol Sams described the deeply-ingrained tradition of being “raised right.” As he explained, the child who is “raised right” pleases his parents and other adults by adhering to moral conventions and social etiquette. A young person who is “raised right” emerges as an adult who obeys the laws, respects his neighbors, gives at least lip service to religious expectations, and stays away from scandal. The point is clear — this is what parents expect, the culture affirms, and many churches celebrate. But our communities are filled with people who have been “raised right” but are headed for hell.

The seduction of moralism is the essence of its power. We are so easily seduced into believing that we actually can gain all the approval we need by our behavior. Of course, in order to participate in this seduction, we must negotiate a moral code that defines acceptable behavior with innumerable loopholes. Most moralists would not claim to be without sin, but merely beyond scandal. That is considered sufficient.

Moralists can be categorized as both liberal and conservative. In each case, a specific set of moral concerns frames the moral expectation. As a generalization, it is often true that liberals focus on a set of moral expectations related to social ethics while conservatives tend to focus on personal ethics. The essence of moralism is apparent in both — the belief that we can achieve righteousness by means of proper behavior.

The theological temptation of moralism is one many Christians and churches find it difficult to resist. The danger is that the church will communicate by both direct and indirect means that what God expects of fallen humanity is moral improvement. In so doing, the church subverts the Gospel and communicates a false gospel to a fallen world.

Christ’s Church has no option but to teach the Word of God, and the Bible faithfully reveals the law of God and a comprehensive moral code. Christians understand that God has revealed Himself throughout creation in such a way that He has gifted all humanity with the restraining power of the law. Furthermore, He has spoken to us in His word with the gift of specific commands and comprehensive moral instruction. The faithful Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must contend for the righteousness of these commands and the grace given to us in the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. We also have a responsibility to bear witness of this knowledge of good and evil to our neighbors. The restraining power of the law is essential to human community and to civilization.

Just as parents rightly teach their children to obey moral instruction, the church also bears responsibility to teach its own the moral commands of God and to bear witness to the larger society of what God has declared to be right and good for His human creatures.

But these impulses, right and necessary as they are, are not the Gospel. Indeed, one of the most insidious false gospels is a moralism that promises the favor of God and the satisfaction of God’s righteousness to sinners if they will only behave and commit themselves to moral improvement.

The moralist impulse in the church reduces the Bible to a codebook for human behavior and substitutes moral instruction for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Far too many evangelical pulpits are given over to moralistic messages rather than the preaching of the Gospel.

The corrective to moralism comes directly from the Apostle Paul when he insists that “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.” Salvation comes to those who are “justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” [Gal. 2:16]

We sin against Christ and we misrepresent the Gospel when we suggest to sinners that what God demands of them is moral improvement in accordance with the Law. Moralism makes sense to sinners, for it is but an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days. But moralism is not the Gospel, and it will not save. The only gospel that saves is the Gospel of Christ. As Paul reminded the Galatians, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” [Gal. 4:4-5]

We are justified by faith alone, saved by grace alone, and redeemed from our sin by Christ alone. Moralism produces sinners who are (potentially) better behaved. The Gospel of Christ transforms sinners into the adopted sons and daughters of God.

The Church must never evade, accommodate, revise, or hide the law of God. Indeed, it is the Law that shows us our sin and makes clear our inadequacy and our total lack of righteousness. The Law cannot impart life but, as Paul insists, it “has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” [Gal. 3:24]

The deadly danger of moralism has been a constant temptation to the church and an ever-convenient substitute for the Gospel. Clearly, millions of our neighbors believe that moralism is our message. Nothing less than the boldest preaching of the Gospel will suffice to correct this impression and to lead sinners to salvation in Christ.

Hell will be highly populated with those who were “raised right.” The citizens of heaven will be those who, by the sheer grace and mercy of God, are there solely because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Moralism is not the gospel.

Posted at: https://albertmohler.com/2018/01/12/moralism-not-gospel-many-christians-think?fbclid=IwAR1xWZKMD0_of2NzM8Bcl3MJ3Py57-zJoltsNh_0zbsVxy4LrS9yZGGyu30

Become Who You Already Are

Realizing Our Identity in Christ

Article by Gary Millar Principal, Queensland Theological College

I have no idea how many books I have read over the years — nor, if I am honest, can I remember all that much of what they contained. But there are a few books, and a few sentences in those books, that have lodged so deeply in my heart and mind that I can honestly say they have shaped my life in ways I can’t begin to describe.

One of those sentences is found in Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s expositions of Ephesians 1, God’s Ultimate Purpose. In those sermons, Lloyd-Jones repeatedly reminded his hearers, and then his readers like me, that “our greatest need is to become who we already are in Christ.” That single sentence changed everything for me as it opened up a whole new world of self-understanding.

The Truth That Anchors Us

The idea that I should be who I already am in Christ laid an entire foundation for my identity and constructed a pathway to security, significance, and satisfaction. It saved me no end of pain and confusion in my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and has made me passionate to help new Christians discover their real identity in Christ. This desire also spilled over into a small book, Need to Know, which was thirty years in the making.

When people come to new life in Christ, our first instinct is to teach them to do. To read the Bible, attend church, become part of a small group, give, and so on. And of course, all these things are important. But there is a prior step. If we are to negotiate living for Christ in all the muck of life, if we are to cope with the ups and downs of our emotions, and the whims of circumstance, and the sheer pressure of our human brokenness, then the first step is to make sure that we know who we are as children of God, as those who have been united to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the truth that will enable us to get out of bed in the morning and face the delight and despair of our world. This is the truth that will enable us to cope with success and failure without missing a step. This is the truth that will set us up to walk humbly and confidently with Christ through the day, and enable us to reflect on the day that has passed with repentance and faith, and to go to sleep resting in the peace that flows from God’s forgiveness. Knowing ourselves through the gospel is just about the most practical, most necessary truth there is for flourishing in our messy world.

Living as Those Who Know God

The Bible says over and over again that we have been brought to new life in Christ, but are still works in progress — still scarred and influenced by sin, although not controlled by it. We have already been changed — our true selves are now bound up in Christ (Colossians 3:4) — but we still need to be finished. This is why we need to become who we already are. The closing verses of John’s first letter state this truth as powerfully as any part of Scripture:

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:18–20)

“Our identity in Christ is one of those critical truths that, if grasped early in our Christian life, will avert all kinds of problems and issues later on.”

Who are we? John announces to us that as those who have believed the gospel of God, we have been born of God. We are from (or perhaps better, of) God. Quoting Jeremiah 31:34, John says we have been given understanding, which flows from our new covenant hearts and minds, so that we are now people who know God. And because of that, we need to make a break from sin and constantly put it to death.

This means that from the very beginning of our Christian lives, we need to grasp the fact that we are both justified and enduringly sinful, forgiven yet flawed, utterly secure yet left with much work to do, as we press on to that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of us (Philippians 3:12).

Be Who You Already Are

The beautiful, new-covenant, satisfying, gospel-shaped life to which we have been introduced in Christ is the only life worth living. That’s why John adds this note to close his letter: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). There is a clear choice: live with the God of the gospel, realizing that we are new people who are being transformed by the gospel, or opt for the emptiness of idolatry. Knowing who we are in Christ enables us to make that choice day after day for our whole lives.

One of my great concerns is seeing new Christians well-grounded in the gospel. I know that often this is a time-critical process, as from a human perspective, there is a real risk of the seeds being snatched away rather than taking root (Mark 4:4).

Our identity in Christ is one of those critical truths that, if grasped early in our Christian life, will avert all kinds of problems and issues later on. In Christ, we get to know the God of the gospel, Father, Son, and Spirit. He is the God who speaks to us — not least about ourselves. For in the gospel, God tells us that we are already his, secure in Christ, and that having set us free from the power of sin, he is utterly committed to transforming still sinful people like us into the likeness of Jesus. Therefore, we can become who we already are.

Gary Millar serves as Principal of Queensland Theological College in Queensland, Australia. He is author of Need to Know: Your Guide to the Christian Life.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/become-who-you-already-are

How to Turn Up the Heat When Your Heart Grows Cold

Colin Smith

When the days get darker, the great temptation for us is to become half-hearted Christians, to follow Christ at a distance. Things are getting tougher out there, so you are tempted to keep your head down, keep your faith private, and keep your engagement at arm’s length.

It is hard to run fast when the wind is in your face. It is hard to make progress when you are swimming against the tide. When evil is on the rise, it is easy to become jaded. You begin to wonder, “What’s the point?” It is easy to feel that being all-in and sold-out for Jesus Christ just isn’t worth it. You can remember better days when you were on fire for the Lord, but now a kind of lethargy has crept over your soul and you no longer feel as you once felt.

You’re in a funk. What are you going to do about it?

Romans 12:11 gives us this command:

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit.

To be “slothful in zeal” is to be lethargic, low energy, jaded, run-down, weary, and apathetic. God commands us: “Don’t be in a funk!” To be “fervent in spirit” is the opposite. The word “fervent” raises the issue of spiritual temperature; it literally means “on the boil.” Heat is involved here. To be fervent is to be passionate, engaged, committed, active, energetic, and motivated. Don’t be in a funk, but keep yourself “on the boil,” serving the Lord.

Unless heat is applied, the natural tendency of things is that they grow cold. If your meal sits too long on the table, you put it in the microwave because it has grown cold. But how do you apply heat to your life? When you see that you are growing cold, you have to take responsibility for your own spiritual condition. You are in Christ, and the Holy Spirit lives within you. That means you are not helpless!

3 Truths That Can Renew Your Spiritual Passion

There are certain truths that, when applied rightly to your condition, will rouse your soul when you are in a funk. They will restore your spiritual fervor and help you to get yourself back “on the boil.” Here are the three R’s that can renew your spiritual passion.

Christ Redeems

When you are run-down and your soul is sluggish, the place to begin is to take in a good dose of what God has done for you in Christ.

Here is how this happened in my own life not so long ago. I was in a place where I was tired. I had experienced various discouragements and was feeling sorry for myself. I had lost energy and motivation. I was in a funk! I remember thinking, “This is no good. How am I going to shake myself out of this?”

It is often helpful at times like these to ask, “How does the Bible speak to what I am experiencing right now?” My mind went to a phrase in Galatians 6:9, where Paul speaks about being “weary of doing good” or “weary in well doing” (KJV). I knew that Martyn Lloyd Jones had preached a sermon on this verse. When I found it in a YouTube™ video1, God used that to shake me out of the funk I was in. Lloyd says:

If I ever find myself, even for a fraction of a second, doubting the greatness and the glory and the wonder and the nobility of this walk in which I am engaged, well then I’m spitting upon [Christ].2

This was like a splash of cold water on my face to waken me from the state I was in. Spitting on Christ! How could I do that? He has brought me into a redeemed life in which I am forgiven for all my sin, lovingly adopted into the family of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and destined for a life of everlasting joy. Remembering this has helped me to not be slothful in zeal but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Christ Restores

In Psalm 23, verses 1 and 3, David says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want… He restores my soul.” Christ died to save His people and He lives to keep His people. And because we grow cold, keeping us means often restoring our souls. Aren’t you glad that you can trust Him to do this? He may do it through a sermon in which you know that He is speaking to you. He may do it through the visit and kindness of a friend. He can even do it through a YouTube™ video that hits you between the eyes! But whatever the means, it is the Lord who restores your soul.

Satan wants to keep you in a funk, so he will do anything in his power to keep you from drawing near to God. Satan will put into your mind this argument: “Your heart is cold. You are not in a good place to come to God. You can’t come to God in a state like this! Come to Him when you feel better.” This is the enemy’s great argument, and he uses it time and again to keep jaded, discouraged, and lethargic Christians away from the one place where they will find help and relief. When this line of thought flashes across your mind, you need to be ready with this response: come to Christ as you are. Come, not because you have a warm heart, but in order to get a warm heart.

Christ does not say, “Get yourself ‘back on the boil’ and then come to me.” He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). He is your Shepherd. He leads and feeds you, and when you are lacking in zeal, He is able to restore your soul.

Christ Reigns

When you think of the work you have to do, do you believe that God has called you to it? When you see that your work is for the Lord (Col. 3:23), it will give new meaning to whatever you do. However difficult it may be, in doing it you are serving Him. Other people may (or may not) appreciate what you do. They may (or may not) reward you for what you do. But if you keep in mind that you are serving the risen, sovereign Lord Jesus, it will help you to not be slothful or lacking in zeal, but to be fervent because you are serving Him.

It is really hard for soldiers to follow a general if they feel in their hearts that his campaign will end in failure. The good news for jaded followers of Jesus is that we know He wins! The grave was not the end for Jesus, and it will not be the end for us. Evil did not overcome Him, and by His grace, evil will not overcome us.

Christ redeems, Christ restores, and Christ reigns. Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that, in the Lord, your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). So, don’t be in a funk! Stay “on the boil”, serving the Lord with a warm heart when the days are cold and dark.

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This article is adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Overcoming Evil With Zeal”, from his series, Overcoming Evil.

1. Marc Bocanegra, “Gospel-rooted Christian Joy: Martyn Lloyd Jones – Weary in Well Doing (Part 2 of 4),” YouTube Video, 3:45, January 3, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEZMthbA0Jc.
2. Marc Bocanegra, “Gospel-rooted Christian Joy.”

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/06/turn-up-heat-heart-grows-cold/

The Imperative-Indicative Balance

Bryan Chapell

Right application of Scripture necessitates Herman Ridderbos’s famous insight into Paul’s theology. Every imperative of Scripture (what we are to do for God) rests on the indicative (who we are in our relationship with God), and the order is not reversible (Acts 16:14–16; Col. 3:1–5; 1 John 5:1–5).[i] The human instinct with every non-Christian religion reverses the order, teaching that who we are before God is based on what we do for God. Thus, any preaching that is distinctively Christian must keep listeners from confusing, or inverting, our “who” and our “do.”

What Christians do is based on who we are in Christ. We obey because God has loved us and united us to himself by his Son; we are not united to God, nor do we make him love us, because we have obeyed him. Our obedience is a response to his love, not a purchase of it. We keep this indicative-imperative relationship clear, not by when we happen to mention each element in a sermon, but by making sure that the message is not done until listeners are motivated to obey God based upon God’s gracious provision for them.

Sometimes, we’ll lay a foundation of God’s provision as a motivational basis for the imperatives that follow; other times, we’ll detail the clear duties of the text before explaining the relationship with God that enables our obedience. There is a conceptual priority on the indicative that motivates and enables obedience, even if the imperatives follow in the actual presentation of the sermon.

If we try to establish a standard order or proportion for the mention of the imperatives and indicatives in our sermons, we will inevitably end up twisting texts in ways not intended by the original authors. We certainly should mention the imperatives and indicatives in various orders or proportions in different sermons according to the content and context of each biblical text. Still, the key to making any message gospel-consistent is making sure listeners do not walk away with the sense that their behavior is the basis of their redemption.

A sermon is not a sermon, if it includes no imperatives; a sermon without application is mere abstraction. But a sermon isn’t a Christian sermon if its ethical imperatives eclipse its gospel indicatives. A message that only heaps duty upon duty is mere legalism, even if the duties are in the text.

Proportions of imperative and indicative will vary, but listeners need to be able to discern the importance of each. We damage Scripture’s purposes, and the clarity of the gospel, if we do not pastorally consider what is needed for each element to be heard and lived.

A message that hammers on imperatives for 35 minutes, and then ends with a tossed in, “But remember Jesus loves you,” does not understand how the human heart functions. A message that mews about Jesus’ love for 35 minutes, and ends with an intangible, “So make your life count for him,” does not understand the human propensity to use grace to avoid obedience.

As pastors, we should aim for messages that enable people to honor our Savior with gospel-enabled obedience. To do this well, we must evaluate both the demands of a text and the disposition of our congregation. This will help us determine the proper balance between imperative and indicative.

If people don’t know what to do, then they cannot obey God. So imperatives of some sort are necessary. If people obey out of wrong motivations, then their so-called obedience doesn’t honor God. So indicatives that rightly motivate and enable must ground every imperative. The proportion varies, but both must be present with enough significance to inform behavior and stir affections for Christ’s honor.

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[i] H. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975), 253.

Posted at: https://www.9marks.org/article/the-imperative-indicative-balance/