The Gospel is for Christians

We tend to think that the Gospel is the A-B-C's of the faith (for unbelievers), and then we move on to deeper matters. Let's be clear, the Gospel is not merely the A-B-C's of the faith, it is the A to Z. In other words, it is the message by which believers "are being saved" (1 Cor 15:1-2). We never get past the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation for those who believe (Rom 1:16). It is the power by which we are regenerated and is power for our sanctification.

In this regard, hear the words of the great theologian B.B. Warfield on why the gospel is necessary for Christians:

There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.

Child Training From Proverbs--Part 2

Wisdom, which is the part of the very fabric of creation (Prov 8:22-31), is depicted as our very life (Prov 4:13); that is, wisdom provides true protection from danger or even destruction.

Therefore, what children must be taught by their parents is to trust the Lord Jesus with all their hearts who is our very wisdom from God (1 Cor 1:30). That is, to acknowledge Him in all their ways, rather than being self-reliant or following the wrong kinds of role models or influences (3:5-6).

By example and instruction, parents are to teach their children a diverse array of positive attributes. These are markers of what life in Christ, our wisdom, should look like. In other words, the Lord Jesus embodies each one of these markers and as we grown in Christ, these realities should reflect themselves in our lives. We looked at a few yesterday. Here are some other things we must teach them:

caution and prudence (14:16; 27:12)
gentleness (15:1, 4)
contentment (15:16-17; 16:8; 17:1)
integrity of character (15:27; 28:18)
humility (16:19; 18:12; 22:4)
graciousness (16:24)
forthrightness (rather than duplicity; 16:30; 17:20)
restraint (17:14, 27-28; 18:6-7; 29:20)
faithfulness in friendship (17:17)
purity (20:9; 22:11)
vigorous pursuit of what is good and right (20:29)
skillfulness in work (22:29)
patience (25:15)

Child Training From Proverbs--Part 1

I just completed my May Newsletter where I focused on the parent's role in training Christian worshipers (our children). This got me thinking about the emphasis Proverbs places on this mandate. The teaching of Proverbs on childrearing is best summed up by the verse, Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (22:6).

According to Proverbs, the purpose of biblical parental instruction is to breath wisdom and the fear of the Lord into our children. Wise children bring gladness and joy to parents (23:24-25; 29:3, 17) while foolish ones bring grief (10:1), shame (28:7), and, sometimes, ruin to parents (19:13).

Consequently, Parents are the crucial players in teaching their children and Proverbs gives a wide array of attributes parents are to teach. I'll look at a few today and a few tomorrow:

diligence & industriousness (Prov 6:6-11; 11:27; 12:24; 13:4; 15:19; 18:9; 19:24; 20:4, 13)
justice (11:1; 16:11; 17:23; 20:10, 23; 31:8-9)
kindness (11:17)
generosity (11:24:19:6)
self-control, particularly of speech (12:18; 13:3; 21:23) and temper (14:27, 29; 15:18; 16:32)
righteousness (12:21, 28; 14:34).
truthfulness and honesty (12:22; 16:13; 24:26)
discretion in choosing friends (13:20; 18:24), particularly a spouse (18:22; 31:10-31)

A Prayer to Start the Week: "Contentment"

Heavenly Father, if I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty, make my heart prize Thy love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is Thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil, and be delivered from it with gratitude to Thee, acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Thy love.

When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labour to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and He must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have His graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where Thou wilt show Thyself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day—"Contentment" from Valley of Vision

"Conversion" Described

I don't think I've come across a better way to describe a sinner's conversion to Christ than J.I. Packer:

Knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one’s natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one’s heart by the Holy Ghost (“Saved By His Precious Blood: An Introduction to John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ”).

Note, this description involves the intellect: ("knowing"); it involves the will ("abandoning," "casting," "exchanging," and "submission"); and it involves the affections: ("grateful submission"). In other words, a true, Spirit wrought conversion to Christ involves our whole person. It should not surprise us that conversion is holistic because it is graciously and effectually achieved through the renewing of one's heart by the Holy Spirit.

In other words, even our conversion is all of grace. Soli Deo Gloria!

Treasuring Christ: The Fuel for Worship

As we approach corporate worship tomorrow, remember that the quality of our corporate worship is contingent upon our individual and family worship throughout the week. In turn, the quality (and consistency) of our individual and family worship is contingent upon how much our hearts treasure the Lord Jesus.

In other words, treasuring Christ is the thermostat that sets the spiritual temperature of our lives. Our outer expressions of worship is the thermometer that reads and displays our spiritual temperature.

In this regard, hear the insightful words of John Piper: The essence of worship is the inner act of the heart treasuring Christ as infinitely valuable. The outer forms of worship are the actions and things that one does that show how much the heart treasures Christ. Therefore all of life is to be worship because as Colossians 3:17 asserts, whatever you do in word or deed, do it in such a way that the value you put on the glory of Christ is made known (no matter the situation or your status in life).

Let's ponder these things together as we approach our time together tomorrow.

Sermon for March 27: Motivation Matters

Please be in prayer for our service on Sunday. This week we will discuss a particularly difficult passage that deals with a Christian slave's responsibility to his/her master and a Christian master's responsibility to his/her slave.

Of course, we know that the institution of slavery is a sinful, post-fall reality. I will argue in the sermon that slavery was NOT biblically sanctioned. So the Apostle Paul isn't endorsing slavery.

However, in the providence of God, even a sinful institution can teach us a great deal about the Christian life. Paul takes the most horrendous of human situtations to make the case that no matter your circumstances, the expectation is that if your life is now hidden in Christ (Col 3:3) where he is your life (Col 3:4), and the word of Christ richly indwells you (Col 3:16), you should, indeed can, respond gladly in your circumstances, no matter what they are because you aren't ultimate, Christ and his name/glory is (Col 3:17, 23).

A Thought on Boldness With Your Faith

Boldness isn't about being comfortable with what's outside of me, but being propelled by the grace and power of the One who lives inside of me (Paul Tripp).

Blessed are the Persecuted

Blessed are you if you live out (and speak out) the Gospel and are persecuted:

Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. Luke 6:26

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account . . . for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

Ray Ortlund wisely reminds that the Bible warns us against “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (1 Timothy 6:4) and guides us toward “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:3). That is true. But a worshipful, hyper-focus on Christ might not keep you out of controversy. It might take you there.

When Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you,” he didn’t mean it’s wrong to be popular. He did mean it’s wrong not to be prophetic. His “Woe” falls on those who turn their backs on the true demands of the gospel rather than turn their backs on the false demands of people.

It would be nice to know that if you lift up Christ in a loving, biblical way, everyone will love you. But sadly, some will oppose you, because their hearts are enthralled by other passions. Some people will not understand you and will have “concerns” about you; they may even turn their backs on you.

When the Lord leads you into this difficulty, you will suffer. It will hurt. But remember this crucial truth: He is saving you from the “Woe” of Luke 6:26 and giving you the “Blessed” of Matthew 5:11-12. Whatever others may say, Jesus speaks well of you.

False Love Versus True Love

Years ago, theologian William Vanstone, in his book, Love’s Endeavour, Love’s Expense, distinguished false love and true love. I think it is a helpful discussion in light of our coming sermon where we deal with issues of motivation in our Christian walks.

Vanstone says that in false love the aim is to use the other person to fulfill your happiness. This kind of love is conditional. You give it only as long as the object of your love is affirming you and meeting your needs. It is also non-vulnerable: That is, you hold back so that you can cut your losses if necessary.

But in true love, you goal is to spend yourself and use yourself for the happiness of the other, because your greatest joy is that person’s joy. Hence your affection is unconditional: You give it regardless of whether your loved one is meeting your needs. And, conversely, it is extremely vulnerable: You spend everything, hold nothing back, give it all away.

Here’s the kicker. Our real problem is that nobody is actually fully capable of giving true, unadulterated love. We want it desperately, but we can’t give it. All of our love is in some ways polluted or even fake.

How can this be? Because we need to be loved like we need air and water. We can’t live without love. This means that there’s a certain mercenary quality to our relationships. We look for people whose love would really affirm us. We invest our love only where we know we’ll get a return on our investment. And when we do that, our love is conditional and non-vulnerable; because, again, we do not love the person simply for himself/herself; we love the person partly for the love we’re getting.

Tim Keller, whose book, King’s Cross (p. 98-99), first made me aware me of Vanstone’s discussion, argues that in the end, what we all need is someone to love us who doesn’t need us at all. If we received that kind of love, it would so fill us up, that maybe we could start to give love like that too.

Who can give love with no need? Only one, Jesus.

When we come to understand that in a more deep and intimate way, it just may transform our motives. And motives matter (just observe Jesus’ conversations with the Pharisees), even in our expressions of love.

A Prayer to Start the Week: “Self-Noughting"

“Self-Noughting" From Valley of Vision – A Collection of Puritan Prayers

O Lord,
Help me to approach Thee with becoming conception of thy nature, relations and designs. Thou inhabitest eternity, and my life is nothing before Thee; Thou dwellest in the highest heaven and this cannot contain Thee; I live in a house of clay. Thy power is almighty; I am crushed before the moth.
Thy understanding is infinite; I know nothing as I ought to know. Thou canst not behold evil; I am vile. In my ignorance, weakness, fears, depressions, may thy Spirit help my infirmities with supplies of wisdom, strength and comfort. Let me faithfully study my character, be willing to bring it to light, observe myself in my trials, judge the reality and degree of my grace, consider how I have been ensnared or overcome. Grant that I may never trust my heart,depend upon any past experiences, magnify any present resolutions, but be strong in the grace of Jesus: that I may know how to obtain relief from a guilty conscience without feeling reconciled to my imperfections.
Sustain me under my trials and improve them to me; give me grace to rest in Thee, and assure me of deliverance. May I always combine Thy majesty with Thy mercy, and connect Thy goodness with Thy greatness. Then shall my heart always rejoice in praise to Thee.

A Gospel Summons from the Prince of Preachers

Meet me in heaven! Do not go down to hell. There is no coming back again from that abode of misery. Why do you wish to enter the way of death when heaven’s gate is open before you? Do not refuse the free pardon, the full salvation which Jesus grants to all who trust him. Do not hesitate and delay. You have had enough of resolving, come to action. Believe in Jesus now, with full and immediate decision. Take with you words and come unto your Lord this day, even this day. Remember, O soul, it may be now or never with you. Let it be now; it would be horrible that it should be never. Farewell. Again I charge you, meet me in heaven. C. H. Spurgeon, All of Grace , p. 128.

Learning Family Life From the Puritans

Tomorrow, we will be discussing the Christian home. I think J.I. Packer's insights into the typical Puritan home are enlightening. It's easy to be so embedded into the 21st century West, that we assume our "normal" has always been the "normal." I think Packer shows us that our normal is a "new normal" (which in the end is probably abnormal). Here is what Packer says about Puritan home life:

The Puritans crusaded for a high view of the family, proclaiming it both as the basic unit of society, and a little church in itself, with the husband as its pastor and the wife as his assistant, subordinate, indeed, in the chain of command, but a key figure in the ongoing pastoral process, nonetheless. As head of the family, the husband must be treated with respect. It was the husband’s responsibility to channel the family into religion, to take them to church on the Lord’s day, to oversee the sanctifying of that entire day in the home, to catechize the children, to teach them in the faith, to examine the whole family after the sermon, to see how much had been retained and understood, to fill in any gaps in understanding that might remain, to lead the family in worship daily, ideally, twice a day, and to set an example of sober godliness at all times and in all matters. The Puritans accounted religion as an engagement to duty, and that the best Christians should be the best husbands, the best wives, the best children...that the doctrine of God might be adorned and not blasphemed by the way we live. And so Puritan teachers thought humane family life in which Christian love and joy would find full and free expression could not be achieved until this ordered pattern of Paul’s regular authority, structure and daily routine had been firmly established.

One of the notable things said here is that Puritan fathers examined their "whole family" after the sermon, to see how much had been retained and understood,in order "to fill in any gaps in understanding that might remain." In other words, the family worshiped together. There was no concept of a "children's church." The notion that a family would be entirely separated the most sacred hours of the week would have been off the charts for a Puritan. Maybe we could learn from them, in this regard.

A Haunting Warning for Parents

Parents, because we are hard-wired for law, it is easy to drift into the default mode of a legalistic, external conformity to a psuedo-form of Christianity that is a mere parody of life in Christ. There is NO fruit in this. It leads to a lifeless, disciplined drudgery. That's why some of the most miserable people in the world are not outright pagans but professing Christians who aren't walking in grace. When this is the case, it will have a detrimental effect on our parenting because there is nothing contagious about this kind of life. If this is Christianity, children reason, who wants this?

Soren Kierkegaard writing in 1850 in his journal (and probably reflecting insights in his own home) notes the greatest danger for a child, where religion is concerned: The greatest danger is not that his father…should be a free-thinker not even his being a hypocrite. No the danger lies in his being a pious, God-fearing man and in the child being convinced thereof but that he should nevertheless notice that deep in his soul there lies hidden an unrest which consequently not even the fear of God and piety could calm. The danger is that the child in this situation is almost provoked to draw a conclusion about God, that God is not infinite love.

Sermon for March 20: The Gospel-Renewed Home (Colossians 3:20-21)

Please pray for our service Sunday as we look at what a family looks like when it is living by the gospel for the gospel.

Questions to Ask our Children

Rick Gamache (senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Minneapolis) regularly asks his 5 kids questions concerning their spiritual health and their perception of their relationship with him, their father. As we consider the crucial role of parenting this week, maybe these questions could be incorporated in your own home:

• How are your devotions?
• What is God teaching you?
• In your own words, what is the gospel?
• Is there a specific sin you’re aware of that you need my help defeating?
• Are you more aware of my encouragement or my criticism?
• What’s daddy most passionate about?
• Do I act the same at church as I do when I’m at home?
• Are you aware of my love for you?
• Is there any way I’ve sinned against you that I’ve not repented of?
• Do you have any observations for me?
• How am I doing as a dad?
• How have Sunday’s sermons impacted you?
• Does my relationship with mom make you excited to be married?
• On top of these things, with my older kids, I’m always inquiring about their
relationship with their friends and making sure God and his gospel are the
center of those relationships. And I look for every opportunity to praise their
mother and increase their appreciation and love for her.

Of course, these are questions of a father. But these questions could easily be tailored for a mother.

Let's make "Christian" parenting our first priority!

By Our Marriages We Preach

Over the last two worship services, we have looked at Christian marriage. This week we consider Christian parenting. It is a natural transition for Paul in Colossians (and Ephesians). What is the connection between marriage and parenting? Here these wise words from William Farley:

There is an old proverb: "Children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear.” The most important example that parents possess is their marriage. Our marriages preach. They preach a message that either attracts or repels our children. Parents who joyfully pursue God are contagious. Joyful sacrifice for the gospel is contagious. A gospel that makes parents stable, sincere, joyful, loving, affectionate, and humble is contagious. Children will want a God that produces these qualities.
On the other hand, parents going through the motions of church, enslaved to rules, serving God to gain his acceptance, tolerating their spouses, or worse, engaging in open warfare, chase their children away from God and his church. When Mom and Dad preach one thing but do the opposite, and don’t repent to their children, it makes the world attractive and the gospel irrelevant.
Kids also internalize their parents’ passions. They alone see what or who you “really” love, and not what you merely pretend to love. Maybe it is upward mobility. Maybe your passion is entertainment (sports, movies, music). For others it is hunting, shopping, or golf (Gospel-Powered Parenting), 106-107

A Thought on the Words we Speak

Tullian Tchividjian: The words we speak reveal one of two things: our idols or God’s grace

A Thought on Spiritual Compromise

Sinclair Ferguson: Spiritual compromise finds its easiest access to the heart via the eyes (John Bunyan would add through the “ears”). It finds its easiest exit from the heart via the mouth.

A Prayer to Start the Week: "Man's Great End"

(“Man’s Great End” from The Valley of Vision)
Lord of all being,
There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,
that calls forth my ardent desires,
That is, that I may answer the great end for which
I am made –
to glorify thee who hast given me being,
and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;
Verily, life is not worth having
if it be not improved for this noble purpose.
Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!
Most men seem to live for themselves,
without much or any regard for thy glory,
or for the good of others;
They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue
the riches, honours, pleasures of this life,
as if they supposed that wealth, greatness,
merriment, could make their immortal souls happy;
But, alas, what false delusive dreams are these!
And how miserable ere long will those be that sleep in them,
for all our happiness consists in loving thee,
and being holy as thou art holy.
O may I never fall into the tempers and vanities,
the sensuality and folly of the present world!
It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;
Time is a moment, a vapour,
and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,
fleeting blasts of wind,
from which nothing satisfactory can be derived;
Give me grace always to keep in covenant with thee,
and to reject as delusion a great name here or hereafter,
together with all sinful pleasures or profits.
Help me to know continually
that there can be no true happiness,
no fulfilling of thy purpose for me,
apart from a life lived in and for
the Son of thy love.

The Mark of Revival: A Turning to and Warm Devotion to the Lord Jesus

How do we know when true revival has come, individually and corporately? One of my great influences, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, is perceptive here:

Revival, above everything else, is a glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is the restoration of him to the center of the life of the Church. In other words, when revival has come, individually and corporately (in the local church), You find this warm devotion, personal devotion, to him. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

A Prayer for Japan

John Piper has posted a stirring prayer for Japan on his Desiring God websight. If you don't know how to pray, this would be a good start:

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures’ pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Pastor/scholar Scotty Smith offers some wise counsel as to how to discern if you are growing in grace (which is another way of saying, "being conformed to Christ"):

• You don’t have to form an opinion about everything, nor a need to always share yours.

• The word “godliness” makes you think about what Jesus has done for you, not vice versa.

• You notice a person’s dignity before you notice their depravity.

• Your cry for a changed heart is louder than your cry for relief.

• The word “overcomer” in Revelation makes you think about Jesus, THE Overcomer, not you.

Obviously, this isn't a comprehensive list; but it's a good start. What are some other evidences of growth in grace? I would love to hear from you.

Sermon for March 13: "Each for the Other, for the Gospel" (Col 3:18-19) Part 2

Please pray for our time on Sunday morning as we consider the role husbands play in magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ in marriage. In short, husbands are called to love their wives like Christ loved the church. That is radical love, to say the least.

But the power to carry thru the self-denial, daily/monthly/yearly dying that will be required in loving an imperfect spouse comes from a hope-giving/soul-sustaining/superior satisfaction in Christ.

Words by Temple Gairdner of Cairo a century ago express this. On the eve of his wedding, he wrote this prayer: That I may come near to her, draw me nearer to Thee than to her; that I may know her, make me to know Thee more than her; that I may love her with the perfect love of a perfectly whole heart, cause me to love Thee more than her

The Gospel Rewires Our Sense of Felt Need

One of the things I've noticed about my children is their difficulty in discerning the difference between need and want. As they mature, hopefully that difficulty is diminished. And hopefully, as well, their wants begin to change as well.

In the same way, when we are regenerated and converted to Jesus Christ, we begin the pilgrimage of sanctification and a very real aspect of sanctification is that our perceived needs begin to change. That's why I as a preacher do not like to preach at the felt needs level. Often felt needs are mere symptoms of unfelt idols of the heart. But in Christ, who is now our identity, we no longer need to be consumed by the craving to be loved, to make money, to be comfortable, to be beautiful, to be successful, to control our world, etc.

To be sure, upon our conversion, our maverick desires don't just give up on the spot. There is an inner battle (Galatians 5:16-17). But by God's mercy, we begin the journey of deeply longing for the kinds of things that wise men long for in the psalms and prayers of the Bible. The mastery and dominion of previous longings for love, achievement, entertainment, illicit pleasures, self preoccupation, and other inordinate and misplaced wants are overthrown by grace.

Here's the good news: God in his wisdom and love doesn't gratify our sinful, instinctive longings. He forgives them, and then changes what we most want. This is one facet of the gospel taught in the Bible.

Because the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, we begin to feel and sense a different set of needs when God comes into view. As David Powlison points out ("The Therapeutic Gospel"), instinctual cravings begin to be replaced (sometimes quickly, always gradually) by the growing awareness of true, life-and-death needs. In the process, my awareness of my needs and my wants change:

• I need mercy above all else: "Lord, have mercy on me." "For Your name's sake, pardon my iniquity for it is very great."

• I want to learn wisdom, and unlearn willful self-preoccupation: "Nothing you desire compares with her."

• I need to learn to love both God and neighbor: "The goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith."

• I long for God's name to be honored, for his kingdom to come, for his will to be done on earth, for his whole church to be glorified together.

• I want Christ's glory and lovingkindness and goodness to be seen on earth, to fill the earth as obviously as water fills the ocean.

• I need God to be my refuge and deliverer, setting me free from enemies, sufferings, sorrows, death, temptations.

• I long for the Lord to wipe away all tears.

• I need God to change me from who I am by instinct, choice, and practice.

• I want him to deliver me from my obsessive self-righteousness, to slay my lust for self-vindication, so that I feel my need for the mercies of Christ, so that I learn to treat others gently.

• I need God's mighty and intimate help in order to will and to do those things that last unto eternal life, rather than squandering my life on vanities.

• I want to learn how to endure hardship and suffering in hope, having my faith simplified, deepened, and purified.

• I need to learn, to listen, to worship, to delight, to trust, to give thanks, to cry out, to take refuge, to obey, to serve, to hope.

• I want to attain the resurrection to eternal life: "We groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body."

• I need God himself: "Show me your glory." "Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus."

How Does Biblical Love Express Itself in Marriage? Part 5

Over the past 4 days, we have considered 20 ways biblical love expresses itself (from Tripp's, What Did You Expect). Today, in our last installment, let's consider 3 more:

21. Love is refusing to be self-focused or demanding but instead looking for specific ways to serve, support, and encourage, even when you are busy or tired.

22. Love is daily admitting to yourself, your spouse, and God that you are not able to love this way without God’s protecting, providing, forgiving, rescuing, and delivering grace.

23. Love is a specific commitment of the heart to a specific person that causes you to give yourself to a specific lifestyle of care that requires you to be willing to make sacrifices that have that person’s good in view.

How Does Biblical Love Express Itself in Marriage? Part 4

Over the past 3 days, we have considered 15 ways biblical love expresses itself (from Tripp's, What Did You Expect). Today, let's consider 5 more:

16. Love is the willingness to have less free time, less sleep, and a busier schedule in order to be faithful to what God has called you to be and to do as a husband or a wife.

17. Love is a commitment to say no to selfish instincts and to do everything that is within your ability to promote real unity, functional understanding, and active love in your marriage.

18. Love is staying faithful to your commitment to treat your spouse with appreciation, respect, and grace, even in moments when he or she doesn’t seem to deserve it or is unwilling to reciprocate.

19. Love is the willingness to make regular and costly sacrifices for the sake of your marriage without asking anything in return or using your sacrifices to place your spouse in your debt.

20. Love is being unwilling to make any personal decision or choice that would harm your marriage, hurt your husband or wife, or weaken the bond of trust between you.

Psalm 1 Recap

Here’s the outline of the Psalms from Sunday night’s service.

Psalm 1 and 2 serve as an intro to the Psalter with this focus on Torah devotion and a Messianic King (Psalm 18-21; 110, and 118-119) to provoke hope and piety against a nominal faith for those in Israel who had returned from the exile.

Psalms

Book 1 David’s Life and difficulties- 1 Samuel 16-2 Samuel 5

Book 2 David’s reign 2 Samuel 6- 2 Samuel 24

Book 3 Solomon’s reign through exile 1 Kings-2 Kings//threats against Temple

Book 4 Exile and call for bringing us out of Exile

Book 5 Restoration back to Eden more so than the land

“The Psalms, then, recount the history of Israel from David to the exile, and then they look beyond the exile to the New David who will arise and lead the people back to the land.”

James Hamilton

In particular we looked in Psalm 1 and the relationship between Psalm 1, Genesis 1, Joshua 1:7-8 and especially Deuteronomy 6 and 17 and the emphasis of God’s Word and the importance of being people whose lives are marked by delighting in God’s Word. Delighting in God’s Word and trusting Him (Jeremiah 17) is the mark of the blessed man as opposed to the wicked. Jesus ultimately is the representative ‘blessed man’ and the true Davidic King for he obeyed and delighted in the law perfectly.

“The Deuteronomic redaction is to promote a particular view of piety for the post-exilic community and a particular perspective on the Davidic kingship as an eschatological hope in that period. Both and encouragement and a corrective of a nominal faith.”

Jamie Grant

The Lord has given us his Word to come to know and love him and therefore to make him known. May our delight truly be in the Word of God and may we not be a people of nominal faith. To love God is to know God and to know Him is to delight in his Word.

How Does Biblical Love Express Itself in Marriage? Part 3

Over the past 2 days, we have considered 10 ways biblical love expresses itself (from Tripp's, What Did You Expect). Today, let's consider 5 more:

11. Love is always being willing to ask for forgiveness and always being committed to grant forgiveness when it is requested.

12. Love is recognizing the high value of trust in a marriage and being faithful to your promises and true to your word.

13. Love is speaking kindly and gently, even in moments of disagreement, refusing to attack your spouse’s character or assault his or her intelligence.

14. Love is being unwilling to flatter, lie, manipulate, or deceive in any way in order to co-opt your spouse into giving you what you want or doing something your way.

15. Love is being unwilling to ask your spouse to be the source of your identity, meaning and purpose, or inner sense of well-being, while refusing to be the source of his or hers.

How Does Biblical Love Express Itself in Marriage? Part 2

Yesterday, we considered 5 ways biblical love expresses itself (from Tripp's, What Did You Expect). Today, let's consider 5 more:

6. Love means being willing, when confronted by your spouse, to examine your heart rather than rising to your defense or shifting the focus.

7. Love is a daily commitment to grow in love so that the love you offer to your husband or wife is increasingly selfless, mature, and patient.

8. Love is being unwilling to do what is wrong when you have been wronged but to look for concrete and specific ways to overcome evil with good.

9. Love is being a good student of your spouse, looking for his/her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs so that in some way you can remove the burden, support him/her as he/she carries it, or encourage him/her along the way.

10. Love means being willing to invest the time necessary to discuss, examine, and understand the problems that you face as a couple, staying on task until the problem is removed or you have agreed upon a strategy of response.

How Does Biblical Love Express Itself in Marriage? Part 1

Over the next two Sundays, I will be preaching on marriage, from Colossians 3:18-19. In light of that, I thought it would be helpful, in preparing our hearts, to glean over the next few days from Paul Tripp's wonderful book, What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

In chapter 12, Tripp gives some helpful, practical points as to how true, biblical love expresses itself in a marriage:

1. Love is being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of your husband or wife without impatience or anger.

2. Love is actively fighting the temptation to be critical and judgmental toward your spouse, while looking for ways to encourage and praise.

3. Love is the daily commitment to resist the needless moments of conflict that come from pointing out and responding to minor offenses.

4. Love is being lovingly honest and humbly approachable in times of misunderstanding, and being more committed to unity and love than you are to winning, accusing, or being right.

5. Love is a daily commitment to admit your sin, weakness, and failure and to resist the temptation to offer an excuse or shift the blame.

Sermon for March 6: "Each for the Other, for the Gospel" (Col 3:18-19) Part 1

Please be in prayer for our Sunday morning service as we continue our treck through Colossians. This week, we will be focusing on the role wives play in magnifying the worth of Christ. Note, the call for wives to submit to their husbands (Col 3:18), immediately follows Paul's imperative that whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (3:17).
In other words, this command is rooted, not in the inherent worthiness of the husband (I'm thankful for that), but in the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Law and the Gospel

The proper preaching of the law--God's holiness, righteousness, glory, and justice--will not create an "us" versus "them" self-righteousness but will expose the best works, done from the best motives of the best among us, as filthy rags before God's searching judgment. Bad law-preaching levels some of us...omission of the law levels none of us; biblical preaching of the law levels all of us (Horton, Christless Christianity, 79).

In other words, the proper preaching of the law gives us the proper category for understanding the need for a Savior/Messiah.

You see, the law properly preached communicates bad news for sinners. However, the good news is that on judgment day God will not look at our hearts. According to Scripture, that is actually bad news. The good news is that for all who are in Christ, God looks on the heart, life, death, and resurrection of his Son and declares us righteous in him (Horton, 80).

A Provocative Thought on the Gospel

Besides the fact that Scripture never refers to the gospel as having a "personal relationship with Jesus" nor defines faith as a decision to "ask Jesus to come into our heart," this concept of salvation fails to realize that everyone has a personal relationship with God already: either as a condemned criminal standing before a righteous judge or as a justified coheir with Christ and adopted child of the Father (Michael Horton,Christless Christianity, 74).

The Self-centered Person: The Mythological Center of the Universe

I've been following at a distance a certain Hollywood celebrity who seems to be self-destructing before our very eyes. You could say this is due to drugs; but I think any drug use that may be present is merely symptomatic of a deeper issue for this person. He is self-absorbed and this is in diametrical conflict with the Triune God who made us. Hear the words of Tim Keller in his most recent book:
A self-centered person wants to be the center around which everything else orbits. I might help people; I might have friends... I might even give to the poor—as long as it makes me feel good about myself... Self-centeredness makes everything else a means to an end….The Trinity is utterly different. Instead of self-centeredness the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are characterized in their very essence by mutually self-giving love. No person in the Trinity insists that the other revolve around him; rather each of them voluntarily circles and orbits around the others. If this is ultimate reality, if this is what the God who made the universe is like…, relationships of love are what life is really all about (King’s Cross, 8-9).

Truth be told, I sadly see some of me in this self-centered, prideful actor.However, the tri-personal love of God, where the persons of the Trinity selflessly bring about the display of each other's glory, teaches us that selflessness and mutual love is where real life is found. Everything else is mythological and leads to disfunction.

A Prayer for Overcoming Sin

What should be the primary prayer of our hearts if we want more power to overcome the sin and weaknesses of our lives? Let's glean from Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, "More Love to Thee," 1869:

More love to thee, O Christ. More love to thee.
Hear thou the prayer I make, on bended knee....
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest.
Now Thee alone I seek. Give what is best:
More love to thee, O Christ. More love to thee.

Let's pray/sing this today. God the Father would be pleased to answer it because in all things He wants Christ the Son to have the supremacy (Col 1:18).

You see, love for Christ drives out love for the things of the world. As the Puritan preacher Thomas Chalmers once preached, it is the Expulsive Power of a New Affection that replaces the old, carnal affections.

Marriage and the Gospel

Over the next two Sunday mornings, we will be discussing what Colossians has to say about marriage. I think this Gospel wisdom on marriage from Gary and Betsy Ricuchi would be beneficial for us as we prepare our hearts for the next couple of Sundays: Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Crossway, 2006), pp. 22-23:

1. Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Cor 5:17). Therefore, in our marriage, our past does not define us, confine us, or determine our future.

2. Because of the gospel, we are forgiven (Eph 1:7). Therefore we can live free of all guilt and condemnation for every sin, and we can trust that God, in his mercy, will be gracious to us.

3. Because of the gospel, we can forgive, just as Christ forgave us (Eph 4:32). Nothing done against us compares to our sin against God. Therefore all offenses, hostility, and bitterness between Christians can be completely forgiven and removed.

4. Because of the gospel, we are accepted by God (Rom 15:7). Therefore we are not dependent on a spouse for who we are or what we need.

5. Because of the gospel, sin’s ruling power over us is broken (Rom 6:6, 14). Therefore we can truly obey all that God calls us to do in our marriage, regardless of any circumstance or situation.

6. Because of the gospel, we have access to God through Christ (Heb 4:14-16). Therefore we can at any time take any need in our marriage to the One who can do all things.

7. Because of the gospel, we have hope (Rom 5:1-4). Therefore we can endure any marital difficulty, hardship, or suffering, with the assurance that God is working all to our greatest good (Rom 8:28).

8. Because of the gospel, Christ dwells in us by his Holy Spirit (Gal 3:13-14). Therefore we are confident that God is always with us and is always at work in our marriage, even when progress is imperceptible (1 Thess 5:23-24).

9. Because of the gospel, we have power to fight and overcome remaining sin, which continues to dwell and war within us (Rom 7:19-21, 24-25; Gal 5:16-17). This indwelling enemy represents the essence of what is called the doctrine of sin.

Of course, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Because of the gospel (and obviously included in that Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead), every marriage has hope. Indeed, the gospel is the only hope for any marriage, healthy or unhealthy. To put it in the terms of my last sermon, a healthy, Christ-exalting marriage is lived out by the power of the gospel for the glory of the gospel.