As his shadow darkened the door of the room where they were eating, his heart sank in his chest. Tears hurried down his face. It was one of those moments in the life of a pastor when, try as he may, he can't separate anger from sadness. It was as if all he'd worked for was slipping away before his very eyes. (PAUSE) His name is Paul and after over 17 years of ministry he finds himself facing a problem of eternal significance involving one of his closest friends.
Where will you be in 17 years? What problems will you face? Recently the Lord used an unlikely source to ask me the question, "Is this really what you want?" Do you really want a wife and family? Because there will be problems. Do you really want to shepherd My people? Because there will be problems. I ask you the same. Are you really ready for the time when the person you've labored alongside month after month after month makes that one decision that could cause it all to crumble to the ground? Are you ready for the day when the leader above you loses sight of why they're even in the ministry and their character threatens the furtherance of the gospel? What will you do when the actions of this person whom you love and respect begin to lead others astray? What we're about to see today is how the apostle Paul himself handles the same kind of problem. What was the MAIN thing that characterized Paul's confrontation? Turn with me if you would to the book of Galatians, Chapter 2, verses 11-14. Galatians 2:11-14...
Gal 2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
Gal 2:12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
Gal 2:13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Gal 2:14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" (ESV)
Before Paul tells us about this encounter we learn that he, Barnabas, and Titus all took a trip up to Jerusalem to aid the poor. During this trip they had a run-in with the Judaizers. These were a group of men who were trying to blend the Christian faith with Judaism in a way that tore the grace from the gospel itself. The Judaizers were adding circumcision as a requirement to be saved. Paul and the others stood up against this heresy and protected the truth of salvation by grace alone. During this time they met with Jesus' inner circle (Peter, James, John). Peter and the others saw that Paul's ministry was to the Gentiles and God was working through that, just as Peter's ministry was to the Jews. I can only imagine what the fellowship for that group must have been like. With all the heresy threatening the church I'm sure it was a refreshing thing to be united in the gospel of Christ. They acknowledged and encouraged the gospel going out to the Gentiles as they sent Paul and Barnabas on their way.
While this was a beautiful picture of unity, it didn't last very long. There came a day when Peter arrived at Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were serving. Peter saw that Jews and Gentiles were eating together. To share a meal with someone was no small thing. You may remember in Luke 15 when the Pharisees grumbled at Jesus because He "receives sinners and eats with them." When a Jew ate with a Gentile it was about the same as Martin Luther King Jr. and the head of the KKK at the table sharing a meal as brothers in Christ. And Peter was alright with this. What greater joy could there be to see such fellowship and diversity among the body of Christ! After all the hostility, after all the rejection of the Messiah, after all the persecution, these two peoples were breaking the social norm of the day because Jesus meant more to them than their culture! What they had in common meant more to them than their differences. The Greek tense tells us Peter joined in these meals and did so regularly. Day after day after day and with every bite of his food Peter placed his stamp of approval on the fellowship of Gentiles and Jews.
But Peter wasn't the only visitor to Antioch... an unwanted group of men snuck their way into the community at Antioch like serpents ready to cause trouble. V.12 tells us these were certain men from James. James was the pastor of the Jerusalem church. Were these men a group sent by James to check up on Paul and Barnabas? No. James would never send men like this as we're about to see. These were very likely the same Judaizers who Paul faced at Jerusalem. They'd done their damage there and now they were set on Antioch. It's possible they even claimed to be sent from James. But how hard did they have to try?
I imagine when they entered the city word began to spread. People knew who they were. After all that happened at the church in Jerusalem, these men had a quite a reputation. As they were in the midst of the Christians at Antioch, as they traveled the same roads, and shopped in the same marketplace, Peter began to worry. He wouldn't have reason to worry if they were men who belonged to the church at Jerusalem. The pressure of their presence began to weigh on him as he gradually drew back from the Gentiles and began separating himself from them. And this separation was just as gradual as the way he began. Maybe he began eating less with them per week and sat by the Jews more. Maybe he began a meal with the Gentiles and ended it with the Jews. One can't help but think of a middle school cafeteria where kids alienate each other and play favoritism in a way that breeds those emotional scars that last for years.
Application: Now when we read this passage we're quick to condemn Peter aren't we? This is the same Peter who often put his foot in his mouth. This is the same Peter who denied Christ even though some of the church fathers and the Roman Catholic church like to say this is a different Peter. His Aramaic name, Cephas is used both here and in the preceding context. This is the same Peter who verified Paul's calling. We know Peter's reputation and it's easy for us to look down on him for what he did, but put yourself in the sandals of Peter... who of us is immune to fear, temptation, and social pressure? Maybe someone of influence comes into the ministry where you serve and you've respected this person for years. You've bought their materials and read their books. But when working with them you find that they do things in a way that you don't agree with... and for good reasons. Yet you find yourself changing what you do just to accommodate this person instead of standing up to them...? We're not immune to that.
And when Peter fell, he didn't fall alone. V.13 says, "And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him..." Hypocrisy is contagious! I took a class with Dr. Quiggle once where he told us, "When you graduate you'll know more about the Bible than the average person in your local church." Is that true? Yes it will be and it's true even now. People will expect so much of us because they know we're studying this stuff. Have you ever watched an old movie where an unbeliever is talking to a pastor or someone else who works in the church and they say, "you're supposed to have God's ear, right?" Both the Church and the world will look at us and watch our every step.
-They see when our road rage speaks louder than the fish symbol on our trunk.
-They hear when our words to other students make us known by something zip-codes away from our love for one another.
-They remember what we preached 6 years ago and compare that to what we're doing today.
And just as the disciples of Jewish Rabbis would follow them around and being to look and even smell like their teachers, those to whom we minister will look to our knowledge and our experience to follow our example assuming we are following Christs' example. When we fall they may fall with us. Of course it's one thing to lead people astray generally and to think in impersonal terms of a group of faces, but what happens when it gets personal? V.13 also tells us, "even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy." A friend of mine from home is coming here in the Fall to be a new student and my roommate for my last semester. As I've labored alongside him in evangelistic ministry over the past few years it has spilled over to so much more than that. He has needed me when his home life wasn't the greatest. He has needed me when he was in love and didn't know what to do next. Recently he's even begun to imitate my prayer life. This is what disciples do. What do you think would happen if a moment came where a decision had to be made and I chose hypocrisy and he had to choose who to follow? That's scary. You may find yourself one day with a Barnabas at your side. Remember in that moment... hypocrisy is contagious.
SHIFT: If you can imagine yourself as Peter sitting there eating with Barnabas and the Jews while the Gentiles sit on the other side of the room like a segregated church service... your eyes drift to the door to see a man standing there with tears hurrying down his face. As your eyes meet his, they become your eyes. You become Paul. You're standing in that door frame looking at Peter... as a feeling of betrayal fills your heart like dirty water fills a clean glass. You close your eyes and walk up to Peter to oppose him to his face, because he stood condemned (v.11). He was "to blame" (KJV) for his sin of hypocrisy. (PAUSE)
What was going on here was not in line with the truth of the gospel (v.14), with the truth of the mystery that was revealed of the inclusion of the Gentiles into God's plan of salvation. And oh what a glorious truth that is for us who are not Israelites! And what a filthy thing it was for Peter to threaten this truth! How could he do this?!
When Paul saw this he spoke to Peter in front of them all and he asked a question that would cut to the heart of hypocrisy. "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" (v.14) Paul reminds him of what he hoped to forget and what he hoped others would forget. He used to eat with the Gentiles and he in fact now lives like a Gentile, but by his actions... by his leading astray the other Jews and leading astray Barnabas, he was threatening to lead astray the Gentiles and get them to live like Jews.
Application: What lessons can we learn from Paul's encounter...
1. His confrontation was toward someone of authority. (v.11)
Years ago I was serving at a mega-church taking attendance for the men's Bible study. That night the topic was what the Bible says about drinking and how we should respond to this. I had to leave the room to turn in the attendance sheet to its rightful place on the other side of the church. When I walked back into the room I saw a beer bottle sitting next to the Men's minister. As he taught, he would occasionally take a sip of the bottle. With every sip conviction welled up in my heart. He was gonna hear it from me. Later that week I called him and said, "You're a leader. You're a teacher. Why did you do that?" He said, Joseph... there was tea in that bottle. He used it as an illustration to stir conversation before I walked back in the room and had told all the guys that it was tea. I was embarrassed. He was older than me. He'd been in the ministry for a few years. he was my authority. While that wasn't threatening the gospel, I confronted him in my teenage zeal. Peter was already a leader in the Church and Paul wasn't one of the original twelve Apostles. Yet to Paul it mattered more that God's truth be upheld and Peter had to be confronted.
2. His confrontation was direct and it didn't wait. (v.14)
The implications of what Peter was doing threatened their entire outreach there at Antioch. If the Jews were too good for the Gentiles it would promote a favoritism that opposed the gospel. The gospel says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." If the Gentiles saw that they weren't worthy of fellowship with the very leaders of the faith who were with the Jews they would get the impression that they were second class Christians that had to jump through extra hoops for fellowship. The gospel was meant for everyone and when favoritism starts it needs to be dealt with. Imagine you're on a mission trip to the people of China and you find one of your teammates ignoring the American tourists who are also lost? Would you confront that person or would you wait? Don't wait. Paul didn't.
What characterized Paul's confrontation? What should characterize our confrontation?
From all this we learn that Our confrontation should be a respecter of the gospel first and the gospel is no respecter of persons. (REPEAT)
So when the time comes for us to stand up for the truths of the gospel, may you and I not only stand in our hearts, but may we stand with our words regardless of who stands before us.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Green Leaves of Stability
Imagine you're writing a letter to the one you love. You've made sure it has all the necessary elements; sincerity, compassion, inside jokes relating only to experiences between the two of you, some mushy embarrassing language that you wouldn't say in public... and you're wondering how to end this epistle of love. A poem! Yes, a poem! Perfect!
You're preparing a Sunday School lesson. You've got an intro. You decided against telling a story and chose to talk about the genre of the text instead. You've done your studying, you've found the gold nuggets in the passage, you've even got some good illustrations. But as you come to the conclusion you just don't know how to close. Then it hits you! I can close with a poem!
We love poems. They make us laugh, make us cry, make us push ahead through trying times. They put into words the feelings we never can. When we use poems though they're usually designed to evoke a specific response. Our poems come with an agenda. This passage is a poem found in one of the most unlikely of places... amidst the words of a prophet. Prophets aren't known for saying things designed to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. They are heralds of truth... and truth that's often unpopular at that. Truth takes no prisoners. It rises above the wasteland of opinions, feelings, beliefs, and hearsay to command our attention. It says, "whether you accept me or reject me... I won't go away."
Our poem brings a dichotomy between two realities; the reality of the cursed man and that of the blessed man. In these realities an implied question is asked of us, "Who will I trust?" This message is so simple it could be offensive. We want answers that are complicated because we believe we are complicated people. We want to shun simple truths of black and white because we think we are gray. But what if the very thing we think we have mastered is what we need? When did our maturity bring us past the simple truths? Let's look at this poem today and ask, "Who will I trust?"
Turn with me if you would to Jeremiah 17:5-8.
5 Thus says the LORD:"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit." (ESV)
Look with me at V. 5, "Thus says the Lord, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man. And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.'" We begin as we look at (1st Main Point) The State of the Cursed Man. V.5 tells us why he is cursed. He is a man who trusts in fallible human beings. When bad things happen to us where do we usually turn first? We look to our own ingenuity. We turn to ourselves. We analyze all the possible scenarios until we can confidently take a course of action... if that time ever comes. We pool all our life experiences, all we've heard, and yet we still find ourselves wanting. We are cursed. If that doesn't work we go to other fallible human beings. At some point we believe their set of life experiences (being different than ours) will have the answer to the problem. Augustine said, "trusting in others is the wrong humility. Trusting in yourself is dangerous pride."
Am I saying it's impossible for God to use the counsel of others? Am I saying we should never consult the wiser among us? No. We certainly shouldn't walk in the counsel of the wicked. The world begins and end with a frame of reference that always trusts in self and God is not considered. Don't walk in the counsel of the wicked. But Scripture also says, "for lack of counsel many plans fail." We are to go to others, but the question is who are you trusting? "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength." Seek counsel. But do so knowing that this book (Bible) is wiser than any man. Know that God is bigger than your human counsel.
Cursed is the man who...
-trusts in mankind
-makes flesh his strength
-and... whose heart turns away from the Lord
These 3 lines are a package deal. To trust in mankind is the same thing as making them your strength and turning away from God. God is saying we can't have it both ways. We can't put confidence in men and Him at the same time. It's one or the other. To trust in mankind at all is to turn away from the Lord. He knows every corner of our heart. If there is even a hint of false trust in our motives and our decisions... we are cursed.
And if v.5 gives us the why of the curse, v. 6 describes the how of the curse.
V.6, "For he is like a shrub in the desert. And shall not see any good come, But will live in parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land."
Jews debate about what kind of bush is thought of here, but the point is it's a plant that has the mere appearance of life. Is a desert bush a beautiful creature? Does it give the aroma of fresh roses? Not at all. The NASB translates "bush." This isn't a fluffy bush, it's a shriveled shrub. When we're trusting in anyone but God we can hold an exterior that seems alive to others, but God knows we are dead inside. This is also a bush that doesn't see any good come. We assume that once either we or our fellow man gives us the answer that we'll then see good outcomes. This is so indicative of how we often approach situations too... at least at first. We operate on the horizontal level of what we perceive to be reality (what our senses fool us into thinking is the extent of our reality). Because we live in this world we often forget that we are not of this world. It's not our home. We are children of the King! He's not called Father for nothing! When children have a problem do they go to other children to fix it? No, they go to their parents. They recognize on some level that their parents have a wisdom they don't. I think we often get old enough that we grow out of our childlike dependence only to place it in ourselves or others. The truth is (after salvation) we merely shift that dependence to a Father that is wiser than the one we had before. I want you to notice though the Bible's emphasis for the cursed man. The majority of what's said about him relates to his state, it refers to where he's currently living.
He is a shrub that lives...
-in parched places (the dry places within the desert)
-in the desert
-in a land of salt
-that is uninhabited (lonely)
So, God's message to the cursed man is essentially this: "Pay attention to where you are." Look where your trust has brought you. When you trust in my creation and not in me, you will find yourself desolate and dying of thirst."
So we saw the State of the Cursed man, now let us look at... (2nd Main point) The Stability of the Blessed Man.
V.7 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. And whose trust is the Lord."
Some translators omit the second line for belief that it's simple repetition. This also is a package. Both lines certainly point toward the same thing. If any distinction is to be made the second line further defines the first to say the one who trusts in the Lord has Him as the entirety of their trust. Trust is not merely something from outside of God that's then placed in Him, but rather trust IS the Lord Himself. The why of the blessed man is that his blessing comes as his heart is turned toward the Lord and not in mankind. This is not easy. This takes a concerted effort by the power of the Spirit. We usually have to learn the hard way too don't we? We trust in ourselves, then in others, and we learn the lesson to finally trust God. How many times does God have to show Himself powerful in our circumstances before we believe that He is? How many times do things have to come together miraculously for us to really believe in the God we read about who parted the Red Sea and raised Lazarus from the dead? If He has done those things and we really believe that, why don't we think He can do miracles in the lives of us who only feel like we have the Egyptian army chasing us? Did God get smaller between the events of our Bible and now? We can trust Him and if we do we will be blessed.
V.8 gives us the how of the blessed man. How will he be blessed? For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream.
Trees are some of the world's longest living organisms. Trees are known for their willingness to take years of children climbing all over them, tree-houses being built inside them, and tire swings being supported by them. It's planted by a source of nourishment. It isn't simply planted by it without drawing from it either. Here we also have the "roots" introduced. The roots of a shrub only extend into dry earth. They try to reach for something of nourishment as we do in mankind, but only find deadness and dryness. A cursed man is like one who dives into a pit of endless sand in search for a swimming pool. A blessed man is one who extends his roots by a stream. His source of confidence is not in mankind, but is rooted in the living water of God.
This is water that doesn't cheapen.
It won't be polluted.
It's not from a faucet and it's too good for a filter.
It is the living water of God Himself!
v.8 continues And will not fear when the heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
This is a tree that stands in season and out of season. When the heat of circumstance bears upon us we sweat, we lose control, and we are terrified because we begin to wonder if we can handle it. But that's where the problem starts! The issue is not if we can handle our problems, but if God can handle them. We need to let our fear work for us to help us decide that we can't solve the problem. We should be worried because our strength is futile. Instead of wondering if we can and trying to figure out how we can, we need to admit up front that we are wholly inadequate and need the help of God! We need to acknowledge Him first! Those moments should drive us to talk to God first, not to ourselves or our friends. We also read its leaves remain green. When other plants are dying with the changing seasons, their leaves falling off and crunching beneath the feet of passers by, the man who trusts in the Lord will have leaves that remain green. This is an outward verifiable perseverance of the blessed man. His trust can be seen on the outside. His joy remains. He rejoices at trials of many kinds. He also is not anxious in the year of drought who will not cease to bear fruit. The stability that comes from trusting God doesn't just endure, but it continues to flourish. Most easily we see this to translate into the life of a Christian in his display of the fruit of the Spirit. Scripture's metaphor for spiritual growth is given in fruit. Fruit grows slowly and is usually seasonal. There are different fruits that grow during different seasons. The blessed man here however has fruit that always grows. His trust in God brings not only stability in tough times, but continued growth.
So notice the emphasis for the blessed man...
A tree that...
-does not fear when heat comes
-its' leaves remain green
-not anxious in drought
-continues bearing fruit
God's message to the blessed man is this, "Pay attention to where you're going." "Look at where your trust in Me will take you! When you trust in me you'll be able to survive the hardest of hard times in your life and not only survive, but continue to grow through them."
Two realities: 1. The State of the Cursed Man and 2. The Stability of the Blessed Man
Big Idea: God gives us this poem to teach us the simple truth that human trust leaves us to die of thirst, but divine trust brings us leaves of Green.
Now I think about one of our greatest difficulties in the Christian life. Regardless of our age, whether we're 23 or 53 we all experience those times when we feel distant or alone form the Lord and spiritually dry. We say we need to try to "work on" our prayer life and "work on" our Bible reading and our devotional life. Very often we have motivation to start but it doesn't last. It's like buying a treadmill only to eventually begin hanging your clothes on it. I believe it's not a matter of just trying harder. Could it be a matter of who we are trusting? You see if we focus so much on the lack of results and then blame our diligence we are operating solely upon what we can or can't do. We are trusting in our flesh. How can we trust in Christ for salvation and then trust in ourselves for sanctification? Why do we do this? We hear of a Bible reading program developed by our favorite Bible teacher or someone else's program and we adopt it... but it doesn't work.
If those things ever work for anyone else it's because they were trusting in God. If we ever want them to work in our lives we also need to trust the God in whom they trusted. Just as the entire system of salvation works to smack our pride and self-dependence that we may call on God for our strength so our sanctification is the same! We can't expect to rely on God any less in our walk as we do to get to heaven. If this is you today... you are a shrub. God is saying to you today, "Look at where you are. Look where this false trust has brought you. You are dry because you're ignoring the water only I can provide! You are stagnant because you are forgetting Who alone can bring progress!"
Some of you may be a tree. If you're like the rest of us you probably find yourself in times when you're a shrub and times when you're a tree. But you are trusting the Lord. You find that when trials come and the seasons change you stand firm. They may not be easy to go through, but you have an Advocate. You listen to the advice of others and consider it, but your trust is God Himself. You find that you can persevere and beyond that you come out blessed because of it. You are conformed more and more to the image of Christ with each heat wave that hits your life. God is saying to you today, "Look where your trust will bring you! Look at the things you can accomplish when I am supreme in your efforts! Look at the growth that will come when I am your trust!"
Some of you think you're a tree. Be careful. You may be a King Nebuchadnezzar, who in Daniel 4:30 said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?" He made his own flesh his strength. Worse than that he said this after Daniel interpreted his second dream. His dream described the King as a strong tree that reached up to the heavens and "whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant" but because of his false trust he was to be chopped down and destroyed. If need be, God will chop us down and humble us that He may be our trust as He deserves.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord because when all those around him have leaves that are dying and scattering in the wind, his leaves will be green.
You're preparing a Sunday School lesson. You've got an intro. You decided against telling a story and chose to talk about the genre of the text instead. You've done your studying, you've found the gold nuggets in the passage, you've even got some good illustrations. But as you come to the conclusion you just don't know how to close. Then it hits you! I can close with a poem!
We love poems. They make us laugh, make us cry, make us push ahead through trying times. They put into words the feelings we never can. When we use poems though they're usually designed to evoke a specific response. Our poems come with an agenda. This passage is a poem found in one of the most unlikely of places... amidst the words of a prophet. Prophets aren't known for saying things designed to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. They are heralds of truth... and truth that's often unpopular at that. Truth takes no prisoners. It rises above the wasteland of opinions, feelings, beliefs, and hearsay to command our attention. It says, "whether you accept me or reject me... I won't go away."
Our poem brings a dichotomy between two realities; the reality of the cursed man and that of the blessed man. In these realities an implied question is asked of us, "Who will I trust?" This message is so simple it could be offensive. We want answers that are complicated because we believe we are complicated people. We want to shun simple truths of black and white because we think we are gray. But what if the very thing we think we have mastered is what we need? When did our maturity bring us past the simple truths? Let's look at this poem today and ask, "Who will I trust?"
Turn with me if you would to Jeremiah 17:5-8.
5 Thus says the LORD:"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit." (ESV)
Look with me at V. 5, "Thus says the Lord, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man. And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.'" We begin as we look at (1st Main Point) The State of the Cursed Man. V.5 tells us why he is cursed. He is a man who trusts in fallible human beings. When bad things happen to us where do we usually turn first? We look to our own ingenuity. We turn to ourselves. We analyze all the possible scenarios until we can confidently take a course of action... if that time ever comes. We pool all our life experiences, all we've heard, and yet we still find ourselves wanting. We are cursed. If that doesn't work we go to other fallible human beings. At some point we believe their set of life experiences (being different than ours) will have the answer to the problem. Augustine said, "trusting in others is the wrong humility. Trusting in yourself is dangerous pride."
Am I saying it's impossible for God to use the counsel of others? Am I saying we should never consult the wiser among us? No. We certainly shouldn't walk in the counsel of the wicked. The world begins and end with a frame of reference that always trusts in self and God is not considered. Don't walk in the counsel of the wicked. But Scripture also says, "for lack of counsel many plans fail." We are to go to others, but the question is who are you trusting? "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength." Seek counsel. But do so knowing that this book (Bible) is wiser than any man. Know that God is bigger than your human counsel.
Cursed is the man who...
-trusts in mankind
-makes flesh his strength
-and... whose heart turns away from the Lord
These 3 lines are a package deal. To trust in mankind is the same thing as making them your strength and turning away from God. God is saying we can't have it both ways. We can't put confidence in men and Him at the same time. It's one or the other. To trust in mankind at all is to turn away from the Lord. He knows every corner of our heart. If there is even a hint of false trust in our motives and our decisions... we are cursed.
And if v.5 gives us the why of the curse, v. 6 describes the how of the curse.
V.6, "For he is like a shrub in the desert. And shall not see any good come, But will live in parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land."
Jews debate about what kind of bush is thought of here, but the point is it's a plant that has the mere appearance of life. Is a desert bush a beautiful creature? Does it give the aroma of fresh roses? Not at all. The NASB translates "bush." This isn't a fluffy bush, it's a shriveled shrub. When we're trusting in anyone but God we can hold an exterior that seems alive to others, but God knows we are dead inside. This is also a bush that doesn't see any good come. We assume that once either we or our fellow man gives us the answer that we'll then see good outcomes. This is so indicative of how we often approach situations too... at least at first. We operate on the horizontal level of what we perceive to be reality (what our senses fool us into thinking is the extent of our reality). Because we live in this world we often forget that we are not of this world. It's not our home. We are children of the King! He's not called Father for nothing! When children have a problem do they go to other children to fix it? No, they go to their parents. They recognize on some level that their parents have a wisdom they don't. I think we often get old enough that we grow out of our childlike dependence only to place it in ourselves or others. The truth is (after salvation) we merely shift that dependence to a Father that is wiser than the one we had before. I want you to notice though the Bible's emphasis for the cursed man. The majority of what's said about him relates to his state, it refers to where he's currently living.
He is a shrub that lives...
-in parched places (the dry places within the desert)
-in the desert
-in a land of salt
-that is uninhabited (lonely)
So, God's message to the cursed man is essentially this: "Pay attention to where you are." Look where your trust has brought you. When you trust in my creation and not in me, you will find yourself desolate and dying of thirst."
So we saw the State of the Cursed man, now let us look at... (2nd Main point) The Stability of the Blessed Man.
V.7 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. And whose trust is the Lord."
Some translators omit the second line for belief that it's simple repetition. This also is a package. Both lines certainly point toward the same thing. If any distinction is to be made the second line further defines the first to say the one who trusts in the Lord has Him as the entirety of their trust. Trust is not merely something from outside of God that's then placed in Him, but rather trust IS the Lord Himself. The why of the blessed man is that his blessing comes as his heart is turned toward the Lord and not in mankind. This is not easy. This takes a concerted effort by the power of the Spirit. We usually have to learn the hard way too don't we? We trust in ourselves, then in others, and we learn the lesson to finally trust God. How many times does God have to show Himself powerful in our circumstances before we believe that He is? How many times do things have to come together miraculously for us to really believe in the God we read about who parted the Red Sea and raised Lazarus from the dead? If He has done those things and we really believe that, why don't we think He can do miracles in the lives of us who only feel like we have the Egyptian army chasing us? Did God get smaller between the events of our Bible and now? We can trust Him and if we do we will be blessed.
V.8 gives us the how of the blessed man. How will he be blessed? For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream.
Trees are some of the world's longest living organisms. Trees are known for their willingness to take years of children climbing all over them, tree-houses being built inside them, and tire swings being supported by them. It's planted by a source of nourishment. It isn't simply planted by it without drawing from it either. Here we also have the "roots" introduced. The roots of a shrub only extend into dry earth. They try to reach for something of nourishment as we do in mankind, but only find deadness and dryness. A cursed man is like one who dives into a pit of endless sand in search for a swimming pool. A blessed man is one who extends his roots by a stream. His source of confidence is not in mankind, but is rooted in the living water of God.
This is water that doesn't cheapen.
It won't be polluted.
It's not from a faucet and it's too good for a filter.
It is the living water of God Himself!
v.8 continues And will not fear when the heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
This is a tree that stands in season and out of season. When the heat of circumstance bears upon us we sweat, we lose control, and we are terrified because we begin to wonder if we can handle it. But that's where the problem starts! The issue is not if we can handle our problems, but if God can handle them. We need to let our fear work for us to help us decide that we can't solve the problem. We should be worried because our strength is futile. Instead of wondering if we can and trying to figure out how we can, we need to admit up front that we are wholly inadequate and need the help of God! We need to acknowledge Him first! Those moments should drive us to talk to God first, not to ourselves or our friends. We also read its leaves remain green. When other plants are dying with the changing seasons, their leaves falling off and crunching beneath the feet of passers by, the man who trusts in the Lord will have leaves that remain green. This is an outward verifiable perseverance of the blessed man. His trust can be seen on the outside. His joy remains. He rejoices at trials of many kinds. He also is not anxious in the year of drought who will not cease to bear fruit. The stability that comes from trusting God doesn't just endure, but it continues to flourish. Most easily we see this to translate into the life of a Christian in his display of the fruit of the Spirit. Scripture's metaphor for spiritual growth is given in fruit. Fruit grows slowly and is usually seasonal. There are different fruits that grow during different seasons. The blessed man here however has fruit that always grows. His trust in God brings not only stability in tough times, but continued growth.
So notice the emphasis for the blessed man...
A tree that...
-does not fear when heat comes
-its' leaves remain green
-not anxious in drought
-continues bearing fruit
God's message to the blessed man is this, "Pay attention to where you're going." "Look at where your trust in Me will take you! When you trust in me you'll be able to survive the hardest of hard times in your life and not only survive, but continue to grow through them."
Two realities: 1. The State of the Cursed Man and 2. The Stability of the Blessed Man
Big Idea: God gives us this poem to teach us the simple truth that human trust leaves us to die of thirst, but divine trust brings us leaves of Green.
Now I think about one of our greatest difficulties in the Christian life. Regardless of our age, whether we're 23 or 53 we all experience those times when we feel distant or alone form the Lord and spiritually dry. We say we need to try to "work on" our prayer life and "work on" our Bible reading and our devotional life. Very often we have motivation to start but it doesn't last. It's like buying a treadmill only to eventually begin hanging your clothes on it. I believe it's not a matter of just trying harder. Could it be a matter of who we are trusting? You see if we focus so much on the lack of results and then blame our diligence we are operating solely upon what we can or can't do. We are trusting in our flesh. How can we trust in Christ for salvation and then trust in ourselves for sanctification? Why do we do this? We hear of a Bible reading program developed by our favorite Bible teacher or someone else's program and we adopt it... but it doesn't work.
If those things ever work for anyone else it's because they were trusting in God. If we ever want them to work in our lives we also need to trust the God in whom they trusted. Just as the entire system of salvation works to smack our pride and self-dependence that we may call on God for our strength so our sanctification is the same! We can't expect to rely on God any less in our walk as we do to get to heaven. If this is you today... you are a shrub. God is saying to you today, "Look at where you are. Look where this false trust has brought you. You are dry because you're ignoring the water only I can provide! You are stagnant because you are forgetting Who alone can bring progress!"
Some of you may be a tree. If you're like the rest of us you probably find yourself in times when you're a shrub and times when you're a tree. But you are trusting the Lord. You find that when trials come and the seasons change you stand firm. They may not be easy to go through, but you have an Advocate. You listen to the advice of others and consider it, but your trust is God Himself. You find that you can persevere and beyond that you come out blessed because of it. You are conformed more and more to the image of Christ with each heat wave that hits your life. God is saying to you today, "Look where your trust will bring you! Look at the things you can accomplish when I am supreme in your efforts! Look at the growth that will come when I am your trust!"
Some of you think you're a tree. Be careful. You may be a King Nebuchadnezzar, who in Daniel 4:30 said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?" He made his own flesh his strength. Worse than that he said this after Daniel interpreted his second dream. His dream described the King as a strong tree that reached up to the heavens and "whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant" but because of his false trust he was to be chopped down and destroyed. If need be, God will chop us down and humble us that He may be our trust as He deserves.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord because when all those around him have leaves that are dying and scattering in the wind, his leaves will be green.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Romans 8:12-17: Spiritual Adoption
Introduction: How often do you pause to appreciate your salvation? Often we approach the gospel and our salvation as if that were Christianity 101 and we studied for and took that exam years ago. We're now at Christianity 202, give us something new. I want us to look this morning at an angle our salvation that we don't often tilt our head far enough to consider. There are 5 major metaphors for salvation in the New Testament; 1. Justification (the legal metaphor): This speaks of our legal standing before God. When we turned form sin and placed our faith in Christ we were at that moment given a right standing before Him. 2. Redemption (the slavery metaphor): We were bought with a price. We are no longer slaves to sin, we are slaves of righteousness. The Apostle Paul calls himself a "bondslave" of Jesus Christ, 3. Reconciliation (the friendship metaphor): We are no longer enemies of God, but we are the friends of God. 4. Propitiation (the sacrificial metaphor): God's wrath was turned away from the Israelites temporarily in the OT sacrifices, but it wasn't enough. The blood of Christ had to be spilled as He became the ultimate sacrifice once and for all.
The 5th one is our metaphor of the day... Adoption (the family metaphor). How do we know we are adopted? What is adoption? What does it mean for us? By the grace of God these are the questions we'll answer today. Turn with me if you would to Romans 8:12-17.
1. V.12-13: "12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Amidst a world that says we are all children of God and therefore in equal standing with Him and therefore all going to heaven, how do we know what a child of God looks like? Because while we are God's children by virtue of the creation order, we can't all as humans stand with a sense of entitlement that says, "Well, I was born smarter than the animals and most favored by God so I'll go to heaven when I die." No, we must realize that we ARE ANIMALS without the Lord (Eph. 2:3, John 8:42-22). We were God's children before we sinned back in Genesis 3. Adam was God's child! Now we are prodigals! "In Adam all die" the Bible says. "Sin came through one man... Adam." Salvation only comes through Christ.
"So then" draws a conclusion from all that was said v.1-11. This entire chapter is full of grace and hope. Paul begins with the famous verse 1, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." In v.4 a statement is made about the believer's lifestyle saying we are those "who do not presently continuously walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." In v.9-11 we learn that this ability to walk in a way that honors God is made possible by The Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Paul uses the imagery of the resurrection to share with us the fact that just as Christ was raised from death to life, our dead flesh is given the Holy Spirit so we can LIVE a holy life. God says we are not obligated nor in debt to live according to the flesh. The implication is that we ARE obligated to live according to the Spirit now that He's living in us. We are now defined by the Spirit, not by the flesh. We are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. That's something to rejoice about today! If you've turned from sin and put your faith in Christ alone you are no longer who you used to be! God is continuing to changing you from the inside out!
In v.13 we're given a contrast between those who will die and those who will live. You may say, "but we all die!" What does it mean when it talks about dying? Someone once said, "If you're born once, you'll die twice. If you're born twice you'll die once." There are 2 kinds of life and 2 kinds of death. We live here on earth and we die here on earth, but if we're only born once physically and we die physically, we'll also experience what the Bible calls the "second death" in a literal place called hell. BUT... if we are born on this earth and born again spiritually we'll die on this earth and go straight to heaven having spiritual life forever.
What does it say about those who "live" and go to heaven? They are "putting to death the deeds of the flesh." Notice what it's saying here... the only death you should be associated with is the death of sin in your life. You may say, "what you're saying sounds great but I still struggle" and I would say back to you... "exactly!" Do you think there's much of a struggle in the life of someone who doesn't know God? When someone only knows sin and doesn't know God the only thing there is to struggle with is how little or how much to sin. The very desire to live for God says something about who you are. You see it's not about perfection, but about direction. We often hear about justification... that God saves us and we stand blameless before Him, but does He leave us there? Is He a God who winds us up like the energizer bunny and expects us to reach the switch to keep going when it runs out? NO! He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Father doesn't ever let His children out of His sight.
I don't intend to give you 7 keys to pleasing God. I don't want to throw at you 8 principles to a powerful prayer life. It's not my goal to give you a Bible reading program that promises you'll be closer to the Lord in one year. We like formulas and programs, but the danger is so great that we try to do those in the power of our own strength and determination, which is always a recipe for disappointment. I want you to do what v.13 implies... look at your life and ask, am I growing in holiness? Am I different from who I once was? When sin crouches at my door, have I been growing in the strength to pick up the shovel and add a little more dirt on the grave of that sin? We must realize the truth that the Holy Spirit is living within us and enables us to STOP trying in vain to be a good person we'll never be and to allow the Spirit of God to give us the power to live as we should. What does our verse say? "but if BY THE SPIRIT, you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh..." It's ONLY by His power.
So, first what we see in v.12-13 is that...
1. ...We know we ARE adopted because God's Spirit living in us enables a new obligation. (v.12-13)
Now assurance comes in v.14-15...
2. V.14-15: "14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"
The fact that we are walking according to the Spirit... the fact that we are even able to do that shows us that we are children of God. We like to talk about the Spirit leading us to make decisions about our future, about a school to attend, a job to take, things like that. There is some biblical precedent for a general leading (John 16:13). Our context here however makes this very specifically a moral leading. This is a reference to God's known, revealed, moral will for how a Christian is to live in a given situation. When that moment comes, when time slows to a crawl, and the decision to sin tries to creep its' way out of the coffin, the Spirit of God will hand us a padlock, but we need to put on.
V.15 says we don't have a spirit of slavery that leads to fear. There's debate about what kind of spirit this is... is this an evil spirit? (PAUSE) Is this an emotional disposition? ("That person has a spirit of kindness about them, or a cynical spirit") (PAUSE) Or is this a reference to the Holy Spirit Himself as He worked when mankind was under the law? (PAUSE) The text also says we were given a "spirit of adoption." Is this a reference to emotions or the Holy Spirit? If you look in your Bible, most of them take the first one to be emotional and the second to be the Holy Spirit. You can tell by the capitalizations, which are not in the Greek.
ANSWER: Now, neither of these is an evil spirit. This whole chapter has been about the flesh vs the Holy Spirit. We have no indication of demons here. It's possible to take one or both of these as emotional spirits. One deals with fear and the other causes us to cry out. But, I want to argue that both of them are the Holy Spirit. This does not mean the Holy Spirit is Himself a Spirit of bondage, but the sense what God is saying here is, "The Holy Spirit you've been given is not one of bondage, but of adoption." We don't have to live in bondage to our sin and in the fear of expecting judgment anymore because now we are sons and daughters of God!
Illustration: You may remember the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. He was the grandson of king Saul and the last surviving heir of Saul's family line. King Saul tried so many times to kill David, but what did David do? He graciously sought out Mephibosheth, took him into the palace and adopted him as his own. Mephibosheth was crippled and couldn't fight for King David or be of any good use to him, but David in his gracious love took him in.
Illustration: Picture a 5 year old girl. Her name is Sarah. Sarah finds herself in the church nursery. The sound of kids yelling and feet running fill the room. Plastic clashes against plastic as boys are being boys. Sarah is getting bored and an idea comes to her mind. She looks around to find that the 17 year old nursery worker is occupied with little Darth Vader and his nemesis. "I bet I could climb up to the top of that counter and jump off, " she thinks to herself. And as she makes her way up the counter, her arms are secure, and she's beginning to stand... but her left foot slips and her 15 seconds of fame are stolen form her as she falls into the hands of pain. The teenager yells, "Sarah! You're sitting in time out for that!" After what seemed like hours later, a tall figure appeared in the doorway of the nursery. He called out, "Sarah, daddy's here!" "Sarah was filled with joy as she yelled back, "daddy.. daddy!" The nursery worker walked over to him and explained what his daughter had done. Sarah approached her dad with head hung low. The dad kneels down, kisses her bruise, and hugs her tight.
And OH, how gracious it is of God Himself to CALL OUR NAMES and put His arms around us after we have disobeyed Him, lived for our own pleasure, and as orphans crippled in our sin to adopt us into His family!
So, not only do we know we are adopted because the Spirit enables a new obligation. But secondly...
2. We know what adoption IS because our new obligation DEFINES and confirms our adoption. (v.14-15)
3. V.16-17: "16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
The Greek of v.16 brings us the most interesting difficulty in this passage. Every major Bible translation says the Holy Spirit is testifying WITH our Spirit that we are children our God. The Greek however can also mean testifying TO our spirit. So the question is, is God alone telling us we are His children or are we affirming our adoption WITH HIM? (PAUSE) It always comes back to the pervading mystery between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Those who take the "to" interpretation ask an important question theologically... What authority do we have that we would testify to our adoption? They say because of this it must be God alone who testifies TO us. I believe this testimony and assurance of salvation is cooperative. I choose the "with." Yes, God confirms our salvation, but we also affirm it outwardly. Dr. Trevor Burke, one of my professors at Moody says this in his book Adopted into God's Family,
"The idea of dual witnesses is well attested in Scripture. For example, in Deut. 19:15 we read that 'A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses,' and Paul demonstrates an awareness of the principle of multiple witnesses, as 2 Cor. 13:1 makes clear... In the ancient Roman world adoption was a public act [that was carried out] in the presence of witnesses, to ensure that the legality of the adoption could be established beyond doubt by reference to one or more of the witnesses."
I would add that we see this idea of a cooperative testimony even in today's passage. You could say when we receive the Spirit (v.15), He is testifying to our adoption and when we cry out to acknowledge our abba, father we are testifying to our adoption. Or we can see this earlier when we learned that the Spirit indwells us (He testifies inwardly) and we walk according to the Spirit (we testify outwardly). But ALL of this is given for our encouragement and assurance. We have a dual testimony to our adoption. We know we are the children of God because His Spirit and ours rejoice together to say I once was lost, but now I am found! I am no longer a child of Satan. I am a child of God!
In v.17 we also learn that our adoption points to our glorification. We are not only sons and daughters, we are sons and daughters with an inheritance. Just as Christ was raised to glory so shall we be raised to glory! And the sufferings here mentioned are present sufferings just as Christ suffered. (PAUSE) How's the world treating you? If you say, "just fine." I have to say, "What's wrong? Because the Bible says, "whoever desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And if you suffer with Him you will be glorified with Him. This glorification is reflected in the common "now, not yet" idea in Scripture. In v.23 we read that we are "waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." We are God's children now, but the culmination of that will be fully realized when we are glorified with Him in heaven.
Summary:
1. We know we ARE adopted because the Spirit enables a new obligation. (v.12-13)
2. We know what adoption IS because our obligation DEFINES and confirms our adoption. (v.14-15)
3. (v.16-17) We know what adoption DOES as it points to our inheritance.
Big idea: From this passage overall we learn that Our Comfort in our adoption Comes by our Dependence on the Spirit. (REPEAT)
Application: There's still much I don't know about all of you. I do hope to change that before I graduate in December. For some of you this morning it's difficult to relate to God as Father. Maybe you don't know what it's like to have a father. Maybe it was as if your father wasn't even there. For others of you, your father didn't lead and love in a way that honored God. I won't presume to say I understand your situation. I can say that I wasn't raised in a Christian home. My dad is a loyal man who will always give of himself first to help others, but He still doesn't know the Lord. I know what it's like to come home from a semester at Bible college and not be able to tell my father what God is teaching me and doing in my heart and life because I know he won't understand. he can't relate. But you and do have a Father. We have the SAME FATHER!
He is not a man that He would change His mind.
He is not flesh that He would ever grow weak.
He is not human that He would make mistakes.
He is not too busy that He would ever ignore you.
He is not a coward that He would ever desert you.
He is not uncaring that He would ever abuse you.
He is not insensitive that He would ever cut you down.
HE IS NOT A MAN, HE IS THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! AND HE... IS... OUR... FATHER!
What characterizes a child? a child is WEAK, INEXPERIENCED, IMMATURE, OVERZEALOUS, EASILY MISLED and what are we without our heavenly Father? They're also DEPENDENT on their parents... and so should we be dependent on the Holy Spirit given by our heavenly Father?
***Our Comfort in our adoption Comes by our Dependence on the Spirit.
The 5th one is our metaphor of the day... Adoption (the family metaphor). How do we know we are adopted? What is adoption? What does it mean for us? By the grace of God these are the questions we'll answer today. Turn with me if you would to Romans 8:12-17.
1. V.12-13: "12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Amidst a world that says we are all children of God and therefore in equal standing with Him and therefore all going to heaven, how do we know what a child of God looks like? Because while we are God's children by virtue of the creation order, we can't all as humans stand with a sense of entitlement that says, "Well, I was born smarter than the animals and most favored by God so I'll go to heaven when I die." No, we must realize that we ARE ANIMALS without the Lord (Eph. 2:3, John 8:42-22). We were God's children before we sinned back in Genesis 3. Adam was God's child! Now we are prodigals! "In Adam all die" the Bible says. "Sin came through one man... Adam." Salvation only comes through Christ.
"So then" draws a conclusion from all that was said v.1-11. This entire chapter is full of grace and hope. Paul begins with the famous verse 1, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." In v.4 a statement is made about the believer's lifestyle saying we are those "who do not presently continuously walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." In v.9-11 we learn that this ability to walk in a way that honors God is made possible by The Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Paul uses the imagery of the resurrection to share with us the fact that just as Christ was raised from death to life, our dead flesh is given the Holy Spirit so we can LIVE a holy life. God says we are not obligated nor in debt to live according to the flesh. The implication is that we ARE obligated to live according to the Spirit now that He's living in us. We are now defined by the Spirit, not by the flesh. We are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. That's something to rejoice about today! If you've turned from sin and put your faith in Christ alone you are no longer who you used to be! God is continuing to changing you from the inside out!
In v.13 we're given a contrast between those who will die and those who will live. You may say, "but we all die!" What does it mean when it talks about dying? Someone once said, "If you're born once, you'll die twice. If you're born twice you'll die once." There are 2 kinds of life and 2 kinds of death. We live here on earth and we die here on earth, but if we're only born once physically and we die physically, we'll also experience what the Bible calls the "second death" in a literal place called hell. BUT... if we are born on this earth and born again spiritually we'll die on this earth and go straight to heaven having spiritual life forever.
What does it say about those who "live" and go to heaven? They are "putting to death the deeds of the flesh." Notice what it's saying here... the only death you should be associated with is the death of sin in your life. You may say, "what you're saying sounds great but I still struggle" and I would say back to you... "exactly!" Do you think there's much of a struggle in the life of someone who doesn't know God? When someone only knows sin and doesn't know God the only thing there is to struggle with is how little or how much to sin. The very desire to live for God says something about who you are. You see it's not about perfection, but about direction. We often hear about justification... that God saves us and we stand blameless before Him, but does He leave us there? Is He a God who winds us up like the energizer bunny and expects us to reach the switch to keep going when it runs out? NO! He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Father doesn't ever let His children out of His sight.
I don't intend to give you 7 keys to pleasing God. I don't want to throw at you 8 principles to a powerful prayer life. It's not my goal to give you a Bible reading program that promises you'll be closer to the Lord in one year. We like formulas and programs, but the danger is so great that we try to do those in the power of our own strength and determination, which is always a recipe for disappointment. I want you to do what v.13 implies... look at your life and ask, am I growing in holiness? Am I different from who I once was? When sin crouches at my door, have I been growing in the strength to pick up the shovel and add a little more dirt on the grave of that sin? We must realize the truth that the Holy Spirit is living within us and enables us to STOP trying in vain to be a good person we'll never be and to allow the Spirit of God to give us the power to live as we should. What does our verse say? "but if BY THE SPIRIT, you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh..." It's ONLY by His power.
So, first what we see in v.12-13 is that...
1. ...We know we ARE adopted because God's Spirit living in us enables a new obligation. (v.12-13)
Now assurance comes in v.14-15...
2. V.14-15: "14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"
The fact that we are walking according to the Spirit... the fact that we are even able to do that shows us that we are children of God. We like to talk about the Spirit leading us to make decisions about our future, about a school to attend, a job to take, things like that. There is some biblical precedent for a general leading (John 16:13). Our context here however makes this very specifically a moral leading. This is a reference to God's known, revealed, moral will for how a Christian is to live in a given situation. When that moment comes, when time slows to a crawl, and the decision to sin tries to creep its' way out of the coffin, the Spirit of God will hand us a padlock, but we need to put on.
V.15 says we don't have a spirit of slavery that leads to fear. There's debate about what kind of spirit this is... is this an evil spirit? (PAUSE) Is this an emotional disposition? ("That person has a spirit of kindness about them, or a cynical spirit") (PAUSE) Or is this a reference to the Holy Spirit Himself as He worked when mankind was under the law? (PAUSE) The text also says we were given a "spirit of adoption." Is this a reference to emotions or the Holy Spirit? If you look in your Bible, most of them take the first one to be emotional and the second to be the Holy Spirit. You can tell by the capitalizations, which are not in the Greek.
ANSWER: Now, neither of these is an evil spirit. This whole chapter has been about the flesh vs the Holy Spirit. We have no indication of demons here. It's possible to take one or both of these as emotional spirits. One deals with fear and the other causes us to cry out. But, I want to argue that both of them are the Holy Spirit. This does not mean the Holy Spirit is Himself a Spirit of bondage, but the sense what God is saying here is, "The Holy Spirit you've been given is not one of bondage, but of adoption." We don't have to live in bondage to our sin and in the fear of expecting judgment anymore because now we are sons and daughters of God!
Illustration: You may remember the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. He was the grandson of king Saul and the last surviving heir of Saul's family line. King Saul tried so many times to kill David, but what did David do? He graciously sought out Mephibosheth, took him into the palace and adopted him as his own. Mephibosheth was crippled and couldn't fight for King David or be of any good use to him, but David in his gracious love took him in.
Illustration: Picture a 5 year old girl. Her name is Sarah. Sarah finds herself in the church nursery. The sound of kids yelling and feet running fill the room. Plastic clashes against plastic as boys are being boys. Sarah is getting bored and an idea comes to her mind. She looks around to find that the 17 year old nursery worker is occupied with little Darth Vader and his nemesis. "I bet I could climb up to the top of that counter and jump off, " she thinks to herself. And as she makes her way up the counter, her arms are secure, and she's beginning to stand... but her left foot slips and her 15 seconds of fame are stolen form her as she falls into the hands of pain. The teenager yells, "Sarah! You're sitting in time out for that!" After what seemed like hours later, a tall figure appeared in the doorway of the nursery. He called out, "Sarah, daddy's here!" "Sarah was filled with joy as she yelled back, "daddy.. daddy!" The nursery worker walked over to him and explained what his daughter had done. Sarah approached her dad with head hung low. The dad kneels down, kisses her bruise, and hugs her tight.
And OH, how gracious it is of God Himself to CALL OUR NAMES and put His arms around us after we have disobeyed Him, lived for our own pleasure, and as orphans crippled in our sin to adopt us into His family!
So, not only do we know we are adopted because the Spirit enables a new obligation. But secondly...
2. We know what adoption IS because our new obligation DEFINES and confirms our adoption. (v.14-15)
3. V.16-17: "16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
The Greek of v.16 brings us the most interesting difficulty in this passage. Every major Bible translation says the Holy Spirit is testifying WITH our Spirit that we are children our God. The Greek however can also mean testifying TO our spirit. So the question is, is God alone telling us we are His children or are we affirming our adoption WITH HIM? (PAUSE) It always comes back to the pervading mystery between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Those who take the "to" interpretation ask an important question theologically... What authority do we have that we would testify to our adoption? They say because of this it must be God alone who testifies TO us. I believe this testimony and assurance of salvation is cooperative. I choose the "with." Yes, God confirms our salvation, but we also affirm it outwardly. Dr. Trevor Burke, one of my professors at Moody says this in his book Adopted into God's Family,
"The idea of dual witnesses is well attested in Scripture. For example, in Deut. 19:15 we read that 'A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses,' and Paul demonstrates an awareness of the principle of multiple witnesses, as 2 Cor. 13:1 makes clear... In the ancient Roman world adoption was a public act [that was carried out] in the presence of witnesses, to ensure that the legality of the adoption could be established beyond doubt by reference to one or more of the witnesses."
I would add that we see this idea of a cooperative testimony even in today's passage. You could say when we receive the Spirit (v.15), He is testifying to our adoption and when we cry out to acknowledge our abba, father we are testifying to our adoption. Or we can see this earlier when we learned that the Spirit indwells us (He testifies inwardly) and we walk according to the Spirit (we testify outwardly). But ALL of this is given for our encouragement and assurance. We have a dual testimony to our adoption. We know we are the children of God because His Spirit and ours rejoice together to say I once was lost, but now I am found! I am no longer a child of Satan. I am a child of God!
In v.17 we also learn that our adoption points to our glorification. We are not only sons and daughters, we are sons and daughters with an inheritance. Just as Christ was raised to glory so shall we be raised to glory! And the sufferings here mentioned are present sufferings just as Christ suffered. (PAUSE) How's the world treating you? If you say, "just fine." I have to say, "What's wrong? Because the Bible says, "whoever desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And if you suffer with Him you will be glorified with Him. This glorification is reflected in the common "now, not yet" idea in Scripture. In v.23 we read that we are "waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." We are God's children now, but the culmination of that will be fully realized when we are glorified with Him in heaven.
Summary:
1. We know we ARE adopted because the Spirit enables a new obligation. (v.12-13)
2. We know what adoption IS because our obligation DEFINES and confirms our adoption. (v.14-15)
3. (v.16-17) We know what adoption DOES as it points to our inheritance.
Big idea: From this passage overall we learn that Our Comfort in our adoption Comes by our Dependence on the Spirit. (REPEAT)
Application: There's still much I don't know about all of you. I do hope to change that before I graduate in December. For some of you this morning it's difficult to relate to God as Father. Maybe you don't know what it's like to have a father. Maybe it was as if your father wasn't even there. For others of you, your father didn't lead and love in a way that honored God. I won't presume to say I understand your situation. I can say that I wasn't raised in a Christian home. My dad is a loyal man who will always give of himself first to help others, but He still doesn't know the Lord. I know what it's like to come home from a semester at Bible college and not be able to tell my father what God is teaching me and doing in my heart and life because I know he won't understand. he can't relate. But you and do have a Father. We have the SAME FATHER!
He is not a man that He would change His mind.
He is not flesh that He would ever grow weak.
He is not human that He would make mistakes.
He is not too busy that He would ever ignore you.
He is not a coward that He would ever desert you.
He is not uncaring that He would ever abuse you.
He is not insensitive that He would ever cut you down.
HE IS NOT A MAN, HE IS THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! AND HE... IS... OUR... FATHER!
What characterizes a child? a child is WEAK, INEXPERIENCED, IMMATURE, OVERZEALOUS, EASILY MISLED and what are we without our heavenly Father? They're also DEPENDENT on their parents... and so should we be dependent on the Holy Spirit given by our heavenly Father?
***Our Comfort in our adoption Comes by our Dependence on the Spirit.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Updates and Lessons from God
As this week nears its end and Sunday is here I find it hard to concentrate as I prepare to preach my Senior Seminar sermon for our class in preparation for the Jury in May. I've been talking to God about it and asking for His grace and help as I prepare. There's this constant feeling of inadequacy that's hard to tell how much is healthy humility and how much is senseless worrying. Either way it brings the dependence on the Spirit I know that I need. I preached in church this morning as part of internship. I preached on Romans 8:12-17 and spiritual adoption. I got only positive comments. One man even spoke of how he didn't have a good father and it was encouraging to be reminded of God as Father in such an intimate way. I'm glad the Lord blessed it. Yet now I sit at my desk in this dorm room and continue to struggle with this jury sermon that I must preach for class Tuesday morning without notes. I've done the exegesis. I know the main point. But how to apply it... I'm struggling. I need a miracle from God if I am to do this and do it well by Tuesday. I've ignored some homework assignments this week and some reading, but it's all been calculated. The question is... has it been worth it? This week has been a challenge. This half of the semester has been a challenge. I've reconnected with my old friend Personal Discipline as he relates to working out. He's been on vacation for some time... it's been a healthy reunion. I can happily say I've maintained at least a 1 hr. workout for 4-6 days per week since returning from Spring Break. At some point I saw all the snacks in my room then looked at my belly and realized something had to change. It's been nice to see results so soon. I'm actually losing weight and building muscle!
As I left the Solheim Center the other day having finished my workout I walked past the handful of yellow flowers (guys don't know flower varieties) behind the stone benches of the entrance and smelled them only for a second. I decided to sit down and think more about the things that have been on my mind for so long now. I wondered where I would be this time next year. I wondered what God has been teaching me and preparing me for specifically. I have no idea what could happen between now and my December graduation... maybe something great, maybe nothing new..? I know I'm called to pastor, but in what capacity and where I'm still not sure. I got to speak with a rep. from Master's Seminary that came to campus the other day. I was pleased with his perspective as I shared with him how I was uncomfortable with the emphasis on preaching aesthetics and delivery here at school. While a good case is made for using rhetorical devices (The Holy Spirit uses them in Scripture) and paying attention to preaching methodology and delivery (it seems to have been included equally with other elements in preaching history)... I wonder if the emphasis is more reactionary than balanced in its' product. The Master's rep said their philosophy is more that the excitement should come more from the exegesis and study of the text than the things we add to it. He said they don't teach a different way of preaching different genres of Scripture, but merely emphasize the study of the particular genres. I must say I have been influenced some by the attention to treating biblical genres in certain ways here. I see some validity in that. I have however noticed a certain forced performance in how a sermon manuscript is handled under the requirements we have. I wonder if our use of language would be better as it comes out naturally and not by our being over-intentional about it. Anyway, I'll have to work these issues out as I write my preaching philosophy paper. The Master's guy agreed it would be good for me to take the Spring semester off before going to seminary. I've been in school for so long. I'm tired. I'm also beginning to wonder if God may want me to go into life, family, and ministry sooner than seminary.
On the family note I believe God has taught me some interesting lessons in the past week or so. As the Lord continues to prepare me for my future as that relates to a wife and family I believe He's given me all kinds of little tests and reminders to essentially ask, "Are you sure this is what you want?" Recently I've been reminded in a very real-life way that marriage won't be easy. Things you may have missed beforehand and perhaps never expected can creep up. You can try your best to solve problems beforehand and it still not be enough. Conflict will happen. Problems will come. Arguments will work their way into the relationship. These things happen before marriage too of course. Perhaps my 3 years of single life has caused me to forget some of the challenges relationships bring. Maybe it's been in God's grace too that He has grown me in other areas before this reminder. He has the right timing though. This week I've had to ask myself the question of if this is really what I want... and I find my desire growing all the more to be willing to sacrifice my needs, preferences, schedule, efficiency, and life plans for my wife. I can almost feel a buried yearning to minister to her special needs (health, allergies, emotional struggles, temptations, fears) and do so knowing that I would be loving my wife as Christ loved the Church.
I begin climbing out of this week with an affirmative, "Yes, Lord. I want someone to love as your Son loved the Church. I want the pain and problems. I want the challenges I don't yet know about, because when they come I can look to You because they were already decreed before the foundation of the world. They didn't surprise You, God. And I know you'll provide the necessary strength and wisdom to persevere." I've also learned another lesson in sovereignty. It doesn't matter how godly you are or think you are. It doesn't matter how well others may speak of you. It doesn't matter how long you've waited or how strong a desire you have... if God isn't in it, it won't go anywhere. The same is true for the opposite. It doesn't matter how bad you think you are or how unprepared for marriage you think you are or how long you've been single and lonely... God can and does work despite us. God works despite our perceived abilities or lack there of. You may be asking, "Lord, what is so wrong with me that I am rejected so often? You know my heart for You! You know I would treat my spouse honorably!" Or you may declare with depressing finality, "Lord, no one will want me! I can't be the husband/wife that would be worth anything to anyone." Either way... the question is about what God is or isn't doing. He does all things to get all the glory and the timing is perfect.
As I left the Solheim Center the other day having finished my workout I walked past the handful of yellow flowers (guys don't know flower varieties) behind the stone benches of the entrance and smelled them only for a second. I decided to sit down and think more about the things that have been on my mind for so long now. I wondered where I would be this time next year. I wondered what God has been teaching me and preparing me for specifically. I have no idea what could happen between now and my December graduation... maybe something great, maybe nothing new..? I know I'm called to pastor, but in what capacity and where I'm still not sure. I got to speak with a rep. from Master's Seminary that came to campus the other day. I was pleased with his perspective as I shared with him how I was uncomfortable with the emphasis on preaching aesthetics and delivery here at school. While a good case is made for using rhetorical devices (The Holy Spirit uses them in Scripture) and paying attention to preaching methodology and delivery (it seems to have been included equally with other elements in preaching history)... I wonder if the emphasis is more reactionary than balanced in its' product. The Master's rep said their philosophy is more that the excitement should come more from the exegesis and study of the text than the things we add to it. He said they don't teach a different way of preaching different genres of Scripture, but merely emphasize the study of the particular genres. I must say I have been influenced some by the attention to treating biblical genres in certain ways here. I see some validity in that. I have however noticed a certain forced performance in how a sermon manuscript is handled under the requirements we have. I wonder if our use of language would be better as it comes out naturally and not by our being over-intentional about it. Anyway, I'll have to work these issues out as I write my preaching philosophy paper. The Master's guy agreed it would be good for me to take the Spring semester off before going to seminary. I've been in school for so long. I'm tired. I'm also beginning to wonder if God may want me to go into life, family, and ministry sooner than seminary.
On the family note I believe God has taught me some interesting lessons in the past week or so. As the Lord continues to prepare me for my future as that relates to a wife and family I believe He's given me all kinds of little tests and reminders to essentially ask, "Are you sure this is what you want?" Recently I've been reminded in a very real-life way that marriage won't be easy. Things you may have missed beforehand and perhaps never expected can creep up. You can try your best to solve problems beforehand and it still not be enough. Conflict will happen. Problems will come. Arguments will work their way into the relationship. These things happen before marriage too of course. Perhaps my 3 years of single life has caused me to forget some of the challenges relationships bring. Maybe it's been in God's grace too that He has grown me in other areas before this reminder. He has the right timing though. This week I've had to ask myself the question of if this is really what I want... and I find my desire growing all the more to be willing to sacrifice my needs, preferences, schedule, efficiency, and life plans for my wife. I can almost feel a buried yearning to minister to her special needs (health, allergies, emotional struggles, temptations, fears) and do so knowing that I would be loving my wife as Christ loved the Church.
I begin climbing out of this week with an affirmative, "Yes, Lord. I want someone to love as your Son loved the Church. I want the pain and problems. I want the challenges I don't yet know about, because when they come I can look to You because they were already decreed before the foundation of the world. They didn't surprise You, God. And I know you'll provide the necessary strength and wisdom to persevere." I've also learned another lesson in sovereignty. It doesn't matter how godly you are or think you are. It doesn't matter how well others may speak of you. It doesn't matter how long you've waited or how strong a desire you have... if God isn't in it, it won't go anywhere. The same is true for the opposite. It doesn't matter how bad you think you are or how unprepared for marriage you think you are or how long you've been single and lonely... God can and does work despite us. God works despite our perceived abilities or lack there of. You may be asking, "Lord, what is so wrong with me that I am rejected so often? You know my heart for You! You know I would treat my spouse honorably!" Or you may declare with depressing finality, "Lord, no one will want me! I can't be the husband/wife that would be worth anything to anyone." Either way... the question is about what God is or isn't doing. He does all things to get all the glory and the timing is perfect.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Idol Has Fallen and it Can't Get Up
As usual when I write, the week is staring at me like Chicago's Hancock building tipping in to grace me with a flattening hug of concrete and glass as I find my feet magnetized to the pavement of its' shadow. Nonetheless I feel the need to write. Too much has happened for me to contain myself any longer. Before I get to that though, I really enjoyed Spring Break. It was... full. I worked about 36 hours the first week and 38 the second. By God's grace I was able to preach in Southlake Town Square with a few fellow laborers I hadn't seen in awhile and even once Friday night in Capp Smith Park near my house before flying back up here to Chicago. wrote 2 small papers, did some Greek reading, started on some Greek homework assignments for the early part of this week, and finished most of a textbook I'd hoped to read. If I weren't so goal-oriented and acheivement-driven I could easily sink into a LA-Z-BOY and with a glass of orange juice and a TV remote beginning to reflect the name of the chair in which I sat.
I tried to spend the first week focusing on homework and the second meeting with people. I pretty much stuck to that. My mom unexpectedly invited my dad and I to one of my sister's Tennis tournaments (which I didn't know about until the day of) and we got to go see her (got photos and youtube videos). It was great to be there for her first game wins and I'm glad I forsook homework to do that. I took her out to her eat afterward (her idea lol) just the two of us... that was nice too. I got to share a meal or have coffee with about 6 of the 8 people I wanted to meet with the second week. Had a good discussion with my pastor to update him on the things going on in my life lately. It was encouraging to hear how God had frustrated his "plan" for life and ministry in His own Sovereign way. It's good to plan, while always tentatively. That's not easy for me! I want to see A to Z and beyond neatly organized in a spiral notebook with every diversion to plan for. Thank God He is patient with our often humorous attempts at "control!"
I also got to meet with a friend I've been witnessing to for a few years. It's refreshing to have someone still be willing to talk with you and ask questions even after you've shared the reality and severity of sin and hell so clearly. See! I'm not entirely opposed to relational evangelism! But the message was shared up front and the relationship followed and has followed gracefully praise God. I got see my friend (known from elementary school) and his new motorcycle, while I sadly wasn't able to ride it. Got to spend tiem with a friend from community college and talk about the favorite topic of male/female conversation... LOVE...lol. I got to have dinner with a Produce manager I met over CHRISTmas break who is a believer. I need to keep his family in prayer. They aren't believers. I got to have dinner with my mom and sister at a burger place on the bad side of town that hold a history in our family. I got to go look at a house with my best friend and his wife as they consider new living and career options. So break was good altogether. I enjoyed working again too. It's hard work, but it's good for me.
Now to an example of God's redemptive sanctification to which the glory belongs to Him alone... 1 Samuel 1:1-5 tells the story of the false God Dagon and a time when God's ark of the covenant was placed in mere proximity to it. When the the representation of the presence of God (in the case of this story) is compared to a false God, there is no comparison. Here's the account...
1Now the Philistines took the ark of God and (A)brought it from Ebenezer to (B)Ashdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to (C)the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, (D)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD So they took Dagon and (E)set him in his place again. 4But when they arose early the next morning, behold, (F)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon's house (G)tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
This story most reminded me of what has happened in my life as it especially pertains to the past year or two. God is in the business of opposing idolatry and dashing it to pieces in His own sarcastic ways. I was reminded in church today of how each of the plagues in Egypt was a smack in the face of a different god of the Egyptians. We remember when Elijah had his round with the prophets of Baal and the water was dumped on the wood of Yahweh's altar to add the extra spice of sarcastic clarity of who's God was the real one. We remember when Elijah asked the crazed prophets, "is your god sleeping?" God is in the business of opposing idolatry, but not merely opposing... but bringing restoration to the idol-worshipper who repents of His sin and places the Lord God back on the throne of their life.
I'm so thankful and even more appreciatiative of my God as of late. He has been patient with me and continually showered His mercy on me through the grace received in Christ as the only channel of my hope. I can now look back on my life and see a thread running through it. It's a thread of redemption surrounding the gradual death of my greatest sin... my greatest idol... romantic love.
I tell you I have grown in the Lord more than ever before in my Christian life this past year. I don't say that in some pre-packaged, well-marketed, highly-endorsed, 6 week Bible study DVD series kind of fashion that promises assembly line production of a sanctified Christian. This the growth that only the Holy Spirit of God can bring without manufactured promises. I write to all who may read that I hope you are encouraged... not so I will get the glory... please don't praise me. Please don't lift me up. Please don't feed my ego. If there is anything praiseworthy that you have learned or received from me, only imitate me in so far as I have imitated Christ. Praise Him because I am nothing without His sustaining hand.
As I consider this thread I travel way back to grade school. I can remember each and every face and name of whatever girl caught my eye and my immature heart. I remember the secret admirer notes I put in lockers, the introverted paralyzed attempts at hopeless conversation, and the inevitable rejection and reminder of my overweight predicament that kept depression looming over me. I remember how my understanding of "love" was only the fanned artificial flame of infatuation whether a girl liked me or not, whether she knew who I was or not. I remember how in my emotions I set myself up for failure each and every time. I had high hopes that were so high they crushed me. I was as Joshua Harris describes in his book, "Boy Meets Girl" a guy who was "in love with being in love."
When I found myself an Atheist at the age of 16 I met a girl on Yahoo Personals who went to church regularly. We got together and I eventually went to church for her, but for her only. There came a day as I attended this church that it hit me... I was to my confused dismay, still without Christ. I truly turned from my sin at that point and trusted in Christ. God used my idolatry of a human romantic relationship to draw me to Himself in salvation. He drew me to that church on that day to plant the seed of the gospel in my heart as it took root. The battle was not over however. I continued to struggle with this idol as we all continue to struggle with sin in the flesh. I found myself on and off with that young woman for 4 years. I didn't want to be without someone and tried every way I could to make it work, but I believe now that she never knew the Lord. I ended that relationship and it wasn't easy to do. It took a long time to face the guilt trip ramifications of what such a breakup would do to my emotions until God granted the grace and strength to end it. God did that and He alone. He used my greatest idol to save me and gave me strength to say no to it. This is milestone #1.
Flash forward to 2006... I begin my first Christian relationship in community college. I was then and still am now under the impression that traditional courtship is the most healthy context in which to do a relationship. I told myself I would do this. Not only does this approach treat the whole thing seriously with a direction and consideration of marriage in view, but it also involves a community of family and mutual friends to provide prayer and accountability objectively. We had the seriousness, we had the friends, yet I found myself still timid and afraid for some reason. I always felt I would somehow mess up royally with the family. The cost seemed so high with them... the implications of those relationships so heavy and rightly they were. So while I didn't actively avoid them... I didn't actively seek them out either. This caused confusion and speculation. Beyond this I hurt the young woman so badly emotionally that scars still remain on both sides. I learned a hard lesson about gentleness that I will never forget. I mention this because my fear of losing her and therefore losing love crippled any ability to see through the eyes of sovereignty and to love purely. I was too afraid I would mess up so I didn't rely on God for the necessary courage. I ignored the fact that if it was God's will He would work it out. I didn't spend enough time in prayer either.
Beyond this when the time came for Moody she said she would be cool if I went up to Chicago. Her security was in the right place. I couldn't even entertain the thought though. A long distance relationship would mean the possibility of a "Dear John Letter." It would be like one of those letter soldiers receive when their girlfriends back home say they've found someone new or don't think it will work out anymore... out of sight, out of mind. I didn't want to lose her... because she was my idol. Beyond this I even found myself questioning my own opinions and theological views (some of them needed to be questioned..lol) based merely on her opinions and views. As the relationship fell on hard times I would almost react to what she said and lean toward agreement simply for fear of losing her and thus losing love. I took online classes with Moody in anticipation of maintaining and sometime moving forward in that relationship. God wanted me at Moody and has provided for me and taught me much here. This is clear. He pulled the rug out from underneath that relationship and nothing then was stopping me from moving to Chicago. This is milestone #2. This one took God's direct intervention and discipline and it was not easy.
Next I come to about a year ago last Spring semester here at Moody. I began doing Greek homework with a friend in class. We met about 3 days a week for roughly 2 hours a time. I got to know her as we talked about guy-girl interactions and grew to be fairly good friends. Over tiem I got interested in her and retreated to almost daily prayer about the situation. I found myself praying for her, her ministry here on campus, and even her family and their itinerant ministry efforts. During this time something began to happen in my heart however. These past couple years I've grown tired and sick of the taboo, the drama, the assumptions, the needless scenerio-making in the analytical recesses of our minds, and the dating system that secular American culture had setup for us and especially how this system has been warmly welcomed into the Body of Christ as His children take their cues from TV sitcoms, movies, and their own fickle preferences. Proverbs 31 calls them "beauty and charm." I also grew so very sick of my own flesh and how my mind had bought into all this garbage. I got sick of trying whether passively or actively to make love work in my own pitiful efforts and clever horizontal earthly wasted moments of energy that I thought would bring tangible results. I got tired of human suggestions and human understanding.
This led me to pray as I'd never prayed before and sing to God in worship behind a closed door with music up so loud and voice raised so high that I'm sure my dorm neighbors lost some nap time more than once. I began to seek the Lord first about this woman. I was in so much prayer that attending classes felt like an intrusion. This was not obsession though mind you... it was a desire to spend time with the Lord and a constant expression of the fact that I just needed Him that much. After all the battle and heartache I wasn't about to waste my time and emotions once again. I wasn't about to keep going through the motions. I wanted God's will and God's direction and God first. In doing so, He granted me such a peace that it surpassed all understanding. I began to come back to the heart of worship and it was all about Him and not about my desire and certainly not about her. I sang, "Holy fire, burn away, my desire in anything that is not of You and is of me. I want more of You and less of me." I could sing those words and mean each and every one of them. This marked the beginning of God turning my heart back to Him. I began to seek the Lord first about whom He would have for me. This also marks the time when I could say I was entirely comfortable with rejection and I had to be because I was about to be given a solid "no".
She didn't give me any indication that she was interested in me. We talked often and got along well, but the fact remained that the guy had to be the one to put himself out there and initiate. So I decided I would do it. A decision is better than no decision. So I spend about 4 days in fasting and prayer. Water alone was my food. I wanted to make sure I was putting the Lord first. I wanted to make sure my perspective was right. The day came when homework was finished and she knew I had something...else to talk about. She knew what it was. I asked if she could see anything more than friendship and she kindly and graciously said she couldn't and that she'd been praying about a guy she'd known all her life. In fact they are now together. It wasn't the Lord's will for me. However I could even see then that my heart was somewhat divided. I refused to sing Chris Tomlin's "More Than Enough" because I didn't feel the song fully reflected my heart. "I want her," I reasoned. "Yes I want the Lord, but I'm seeking Him for her." My perspective was almost right, but not quite. I'd begun to put Him first but I still struggled with how much I wanted her and how much I wanted the Lord. From this I learned that God is in charge of even rejection and His sovereign hand opens and closes doors. I learned the value and importance of prayer and personal worship and my heart had begun to turn to the Lord on this matter. This is milestone #3.
In the past few months I find myself continuing to seek the Lord. My desire for who He would have for me has not left. I ask the same who, when, and how that many of us do. I began to shift even more though. My prayers have turned from, "Lord I want You AND her" or "I want You AS YOU PERTAIN TO her" to "I want You more than her." God impressed upon me the fact that I should love Him infinitely more than I love the woman who He has for me. I was asked to be the best man at a friend's wedding and I was to give a speech. Through a helpful resource book I came across 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." While betrothal is a bit pre-marriage, the idea here is that Paul committed the Corinthians to Christ first and yet their minds were being led astray from a pure devotion to Him. I think one of the ways we do this is by loving eachother more than we love Christ. I desire to stand as I believe singer Keith Green did in his wedding vow and said to his wife, "May I never love you more than I love my Savior." That's something however that I need to practice even before I know who she is. I shared this passage at the wedding.
As I seek the Lord today I can say with full confidence, with every corner of my heart and mind, eyes wide open, uncertainties surrendered, apprehensions ignored, leaps of faith exciting me, and fears on the altar... that I want the Lord and His will MORE than I want the woman He has for me. I want it regardless of my desire. I want it regardless of my timeframe. I want it forsaking my plans. I want it laughing at my preferences. I want it through any amount of testing. I want it through any level of pain. I want the Lord's will. I want the Lord Himself. There was a time when I prayed, "Lord increase her desire for me because I simply can't trust my own emotions." Now I pray, "Lord increase her desire for You that as I and she seek You we may find eachother." So I can sing with joy in my heart and I can walk with a song in my step knowing that God is sovereign... not simply in the affairs of the rest of the world, not simply in salvation and other theological debates, but in my own life and future. Now it's personal. He knows my desire for the woman He has for me and the details are His. Yet I desire Him more and trust Him to do as He wills. The idol has fallen because the presence of the Lord has entered the room and things will NEVER be the same. This is reality #1.
I tried to spend the first week focusing on homework and the second meeting with people. I pretty much stuck to that. My mom unexpectedly invited my dad and I to one of my sister's Tennis tournaments (which I didn't know about until the day of) and we got to go see her (got photos and youtube videos). It was great to be there for her first game wins and I'm glad I forsook homework to do that. I took her out to her eat afterward (her idea lol) just the two of us... that was nice too. I got to share a meal or have coffee with about 6 of the 8 people I wanted to meet with the second week. Had a good discussion with my pastor to update him on the things going on in my life lately. It was encouraging to hear how God had frustrated his "plan" for life and ministry in His own Sovereign way. It's good to plan, while always tentatively. That's not easy for me! I want to see A to Z and beyond neatly organized in a spiral notebook with every diversion to plan for. Thank God He is patient with our often humorous attempts at "control!"
I also got to meet with a friend I've been witnessing to for a few years. It's refreshing to have someone still be willing to talk with you and ask questions even after you've shared the reality and severity of sin and hell so clearly. See! I'm not entirely opposed to relational evangelism! But the message was shared up front and the relationship followed and has followed gracefully praise God. I got see my friend (known from elementary school) and his new motorcycle, while I sadly wasn't able to ride it. Got to spend tiem with a friend from community college and talk about the favorite topic of male/female conversation... LOVE...lol. I got to have dinner with a Produce manager I met over CHRISTmas break who is a believer. I need to keep his family in prayer. They aren't believers. I got to have dinner with my mom and sister at a burger place on the bad side of town that hold a history in our family. I got to go look at a house with my best friend and his wife as they consider new living and career options. So break was good altogether. I enjoyed working again too. It's hard work, but it's good for me.
Now to an example of God's redemptive sanctification to which the glory belongs to Him alone... 1 Samuel 1:1-5 tells the story of the false God Dagon and a time when God's ark of the covenant was placed in mere proximity to it. When the the representation of the presence of God (in the case of this story) is compared to a false God, there is no comparison. Here's the account...
1Now the Philistines took the ark of God and (A)brought it from Ebenezer to (B)Ashdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to (C)the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, (D)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD So they took Dagon and (E)set him in his place again. 4But when they arose early the next morning, behold, (F)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon's house (G)tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
This story most reminded me of what has happened in my life as it especially pertains to the past year or two. God is in the business of opposing idolatry and dashing it to pieces in His own sarcastic ways. I was reminded in church today of how each of the plagues in Egypt was a smack in the face of a different god of the Egyptians. We remember when Elijah had his round with the prophets of Baal and the water was dumped on the wood of Yahweh's altar to add the extra spice of sarcastic clarity of who's God was the real one. We remember when Elijah asked the crazed prophets, "is your god sleeping?" God is in the business of opposing idolatry, but not merely opposing... but bringing restoration to the idol-worshipper who repents of His sin and places the Lord God back on the throne of their life.
I'm so thankful and even more appreciatiative of my God as of late. He has been patient with me and continually showered His mercy on me through the grace received in Christ as the only channel of my hope. I can now look back on my life and see a thread running through it. It's a thread of redemption surrounding the gradual death of my greatest sin... my greatest idol... romantic love.
I tell you I have grown in the Lord more than ever before in my Christian life this past year. I don't say that in some pre-packaged, well-marketed, highly-endorsed, 6 week Bible study DVD series kind of fashion that promises assembly line production of a sanctified Christian. This the growth that only the Holy Spirit of God can bring without manufactured promises. I write to all who may read that I hope you are encouraged... not so I will get the glory... please don't praise me. Please don't lift me up. Please don't feed my ego. If there is anything praiseworthy that you have learned or received from me, only imitate me in so far as I have imitated Christ. Praise Him because I am nothing without His sustaining hand.
As I consider this thread I travel way back to grade school. I can remember each and every face and name of whatever girl caught my eye and my immature heart. I remember the secret admirer notes I put in lockers, the introverted paralyzed attempts at hopeless conversation, and the inevitable rejection and reminder of my overweight predicament that kept depression looming over me. I remember how my understanding of "love" was only the fanned artificial flame of infatuation whether a girl liked me or not, whether she knew who I was or not. I remember how in my emotions I set myself up for failure each and every time. I had high hopes that were so high they crushed me. I was as Joshua Harris describes in his book, "Boy Meets Girl" a guy who was "in love with being in love."
When I found myself an Atheist at the age of 16 I met a girl on Yahoo Personals who went to church regularly. We got together and I eventually went to church for her, but for her only. There came a day as I attended this church that it hit me... I was to my confused dismay, still without Christ. I truly turned from my sin at that point and trusted in Christ. God used my idolatry of a human romantic relationship to draw me to Himself in salvation. He drew me to that church on that day to plant the seed of the gospel in my heart as it took root. The battle was not over however. I continued to struggle with this idol as we all continue to struggle with sin in the flesh. I found myself on and off with that young woman for 4 years. I didn't want to be without someone and tried every way I could to make it work, but I believe now that she never knew the Lord. I ended that relationship and it wasn't easy to do. It took a long time to face the guilt trip ramifications of what such a breakup would do to my emotions until God granted the grace and strength to end it. God did that and He alone. He used my greatest idol to save me and gave me strength to say no to it. This is milestone #1.
Flash forward to 2006... I begin my first Christian relationship in community college. I was then and still am now under the impression that traditional courtship is the most healthy context in which to do a relationship. I told myself I would do this. Not only does this approach treat the whole thing seriously with a direction and consideration of marriage in view, but it also involves a community of family and mutual friends to provide prayer and accountability objectively. We had the seriousness, we had the friends, yet I found myself still timid and afraid for some reason. I always felt I would somehow mess up royally with the family. The cost seemed so high with them... the implications of those relationships so heavy and rightly they were. So while I didn't actively avoid them... I didn't actively seek them out either. This caused confusion and speculation. Beyond this I hurt the young woman so badly emotionally that scars still remain on both sides. I learned a hard lesson about gentleness that I will never forget. I mention this because my fear of losing her and therefore losing love crippled any ability to see through the eyes of sovereignty and to love purely. I was too afraid I would mess up so I didn't rely on God for the necessary courage. I ignored the fact that if it was God's will He would work it out. I didn't spend enough time in prayer either.
Beyond this when the time came for Moody she said she would be cool if I went up to Chicago. Her security was in the right place. I couldn't even entertain the thought though. A long distance relationship would mean the possibility of a "Dear John Letter." It would be like one of those letter soldiers receive when their girlfriends back home say they've found someone new or don't think it will work out anymore... out of sight, out of mind. I didn't want to lose her... because she was my idol. Beyond this I even found myself questioning my own opinions and theological views (some of them needed to be questioned..lol) based merely on her opinions and views. As the relationship fell on hard times I would almost react to what she said and lean toward agreement simply for fear of losing her and thus losing love. I took online classes with Moody in anticipation of maintaining and sometime moving forward in that relationship. God wanted me at Moody and has provided for me and taught me much here. This is clear. He pulled the rug out from underneath that relationship and nothing then was stopping me from moving to Chicago. This is milestone #2. This one took God's direct intervention and discipline and it was not easy.
Next I come to about a year ago last Spring semester here at Moody. I began doing Greek homework with a friend in class. We met about 3 days a week for roughly 2 hours a time. I got to know her as we talked about guy-girl interactions and grew to be fairly good friends. Over tiem I got interested in her and retreated to almost daily prayer about the situation. I found myself praying for her, her ministry here on campus, and even her family and their itinerant ministry efforts. During this time something began to happen in my heart however. These past couple years I've grown tired and sick of the taboo, the drama, the assumptions, the needless scenerio-making in the analytical recesses of our minds, and the dating system that secular American culture had setup for us and especially how this system has been warmly welcomed into the Body of Christ as His children take their cues from TV sitcoms, movies, and their own fickle preferences. Proverbs 31 calls them "beauty and charm." I also grew so very sick of my own flesh and how my mind had bought into all this garbage. I got sick of trying whether passively or actively to make love work in my own pitiful efforts and clever horizontal earthly wasted moments of energy that I thought would bring tangible results. I got tired of human suggestions and human understanding.
This led me to pray as I'd never prayed before and sing to God in worship behind a closed door with music up so loud and voice raised so high that I'm sure my dorm neighbors lost some nap time more than once. I began to seek the Lord first about this woman. I was in so much prayer that attending classes felt like an intrusion. This was not obsession though mind you... it was a desire to spend time with the Lord and a constant expression of the fact that I just needed Him that much. After all the battle and heartache I wasn't about to waste my time and emotions once again. I wasn't about to keep going through the motions. I wanted God's will and God's direction and God first. In doing so, He granted me such a peace that it surpassed all understanding. I began to come back to the heart of worship and it was all about Him and not about my desire and certainly not about her. I sang, "Holy fire, burn away, my desire in anything that is not of You and is of me. I want more of You and less of me." I could sing those words and mean each and every one of them. This marked the beginning of God turning my heart back to Him. I began to seek the Lord first about whom He would have for me. This also marks the time when I could say I was entirely comfortable with rejection and I had to be because I was about to be given a solid "no".
She didn't give me any indication that she was interested in me. We talked often and got along well, but the fact remained that the guy had to be the one to put himself out there and initiate. So I decided I would do it. A decision is better than no decision. So I spend about 4 days in fasting and prayer. Water alone was my food. I wanted to make sure I was putting the Lord first. I wanted to make sure my perspective was right. The day came when homework was finished and she knew I had something...else to talk about. She knew what it was. I asked if she could see anything more than friendship and she kindly and graciously said she couldn't and that she'd been praying about a guy she'd known all her life. In fact they are now together. It wasn't the Lord's will for me. However I could even see then that my heart was somewhat divided. I refused to sing Chris Tomlin's "More Than Enough" because I didn't feel the song fully reflected my heart. "I want her," I reasoned. "Yes I want the Lord, but I'm seeking Him for her." My perspective was almost right, but not quite. I'd begun to put Him first but I still struggled with how much I wanted her and how much I wanted the Lord. From this I learned that God is in charge of even rejection and His sovereign hand opens and closes doors. I learned the value and importance of prayer and personal worship and my heart had begun to turn to the Lord on this matter. This is milestone #3.
In the past few months I find myself continuing to seek the Lord. My desire for who He would have for me has not left. I ask the same who, when, and how that many of us do. I began to shift even more though. My prayers have turned from, "Lord I want You AND her" or "I want You AS YOU PERTAIN TO her" to "I want You more than her." God impressed upon me the fact that I should love Him infinitely more than I love the woman who He has for me. I was asked to be the best man at a friend's wedding and I was to give a speech. Through a helpful resource book I came across 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." While betrothal is a bit pre-marriage, the idea here is that Paul committed the Corinthians to Christ first and yet their minds were being led astray from a pure devotion to Him. I think one of the ways we do this is by loving eachother more than we love Christ. I desire to stand as I believe singer Keith Green did in his wedding vow and said to his wife, "May I never love you more than I love my Savior." That's something however that I need to practice even before I know who she is. I shared this passage at the wedding.
As I seek the Lord today I can say with full confidence, with every corner of my heart and mind, eyes wide open, uncertainties surrendered, apprehensions ignored, leaps of faith exciting me, and fears on the altar... that I want the Lord and His will MORE than I want the woman He has for me. I want it regardless of my desire. I want it regardless of my timeframe. I want it forsaking my plans. I want it laughing at my preferences. I want it through any amount of testing. I want it through any level of pain. I want the Lord's will. I want the Lord Himself. There was a time when I prayed, "Lord increase her desire for me because I simply can't trust my own emotions." Now I pray, "Lord increase her desire for You that as I and she seek You we may find eachother." So I can sing with joy in my heart and I can walk with a song in my step knowing that God is sovereign... not simply in the affairs of the rest of the world, not simply in salvation and other theological debates, but in my own life and future. Now it's personal. He knows my desire for the woman He has for me and the details are His. Yet I desire Him more and trust Him to do as He wills. The idol has fallen because the presence of the Lord has entered the room and things will NEVER be the same. This is reality #1.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)