MORE....
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, [4] who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. [5] For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
Comfort. A curious thing. What we are comforted by in affliction can be as varied as the afflictions themselves. Though the comforts God provides are "common" like the trials we face, they like our afflictions, are quite intimate and individual. Certainly, we may all be comforted by all the promises in the Gospel we are also comforted by unique and very personal mercies.
In affliction we need to examine not only the affliction but we need to examine or look for that which brings us comfort. The danger we face is in comforting the flesh instead of the spirit. We talk of "comfort" food which my make us feel better but usually does little for our health and certainly does nothing for our spirit. We need to be very careful to examine what comforts us and we need to begin by asking if indeed it is a comfort from God.
The world, the flesh and the devil will always seek to take advantage of us when we are under affliction. When we are weak and most prone to lean on our own strength and wisdom that unholy three will do everything they can to lead us into comforts that are really no comfort at all. They seek to trap us into accepting counterfeit comforts which only serve to make our affliction worse and lead us to feel even further away from the Lord.
God's comforts are not primarily about making us "feel" better but rather they are intended to strengthen our faith and bring peace to our hearts. God wants us to lean upon Him all the time and especially in times of affliction. Indeed, the very purpose of many afflictions is to bring us back under His care, leaning on His provision. His comforts are intended for our growth, our perseverance and not necessarily for us to feel better. If they are to make us "feel" anything, it is confidence, strength, hope, love, etc.
God's comforts are, well, godly. They are part and parcel of His holiness and our sanctificaton.
Jesus asks:
Matthew 7:9-11 ESV
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
This is as applicable to comforts as it is to any other prayer request we may make. Of course I would ask, which one of you, if his son asks for a serpent will give him one? In other words, there are times, and I suspect many times, when what we are praying for what we think is a "fish" is in truth a serpent.
James writes:
James 4:3, 7 ESV
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Comfort is not always about feeling better. That is a tough truth but a safe one. We have to pray hard that our hearts and minds will be open and receptive to the comfort that God would send and not demand what we believe will comfort us. We need, as I have said, to examine what we believe will comfort us to see if it is godly and according to His will.
Will it draw me closer to Him. Will it bring honor to His name? Will it contribute to my growing more like Christ. Is this a godly comfort,
In all affliction James' admonition is paramount:
James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
In affliction our only and best hope is to submit ourselves to God, accepting the affliction as from Him and seeking how we may glorify Him in it. This will go a long way to enable us to seek, receive and ackowledge the comfort He provides and not seek those comforts which are counterfeits, traps.
What comforts you? What do you seek in affliction? Do you cry out to God for the comfort He wants you to have, do you submit yourself to His will? What comforts you?
Showing posts with label examine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label examine. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Making the Most Prayer 02 032714
Making the Most
of the means of grace
02
2. Private prayer
This is not just "private" prayer - it is penetrating prayer. It is prayer that calls upon God to show us, not just Himself, but our selves as well. It is prayer that cuts through all the "I want," "I need," "Please give," and gets down to the, "have mercy upon me a sinner."
Most of us know the acronym ACTS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Now there nothing wrong with this as a reminder of the components of prayer but I think if falls short of the whole of it. There is no explicit "letter" for seeking God's exposure of our hearts. It's easy to run through these parts of prayer without ever seeking God's exposure of our true and hidden spiritual needs - the nitty gritty. There is no depth demanded and I suspect (for I find it true in me) that there is no depth sought.
Prayer is, fundamentlly, a conversation - a two way conversation. Certainly we ought go to God with the common and even mundane requests that we are aware of but to do this and only this is perhaps a great waste of a great opportunity.
Most of our private prayers could be prayed in public with little alteration. They are shallow and halt - usually. Private prayer, as the Puritains saw it, was deep, gut wrenching, no-holds-barred, open your soul and heart and seek to expose the deepest of corruptions kind of prayers. They were blood-sweating prayers. They were prayers for holiness and righteousness of life - here now - for Him.
Oh, we may get close to that when we pray the "C" (confession) but God desires so much more of and for us and we must dig deeply into prayer to touch it. David asked God to "test," or "try" his heart to see if there was any wicked way in him. That's "any" wicked way not just the easily seen and comfortably remembered evil ways that we are at ease acknowledging.
I think sometimes that we are too comfortble in our redemption and justification. We wear it more tike a windbeaker than a heavy coat. What I mean is that we are more than willing to see our easy sins and rejoice in their forgiveness but we are rarey willing go dig deep into the cold and dark recesses of our souls to find what the Puritains called "heart sins" or the sins under the sins that are uder the sins. We fail to ask to see the utter corruption for which Christ came and suffered.
Private prayer is the time when we need to be digging deep. We need to be seeking God's exposure of just how badly we need Christ - just how very very much we need Him. It's the place where we drop the "I'm not so bad," approach to our sin and cry out to see exactly how "bad" we really are.
PS
Are these posts of any benefit to you? If they are or are not I would like to hear from you. Your input and/or encouragement would be a blessing and mercy. You can comment on the blog page of, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.
Bless you for your help!
Michael
of the means of grace
02
2. Private prayer
This is not just "private" prayer - it is penetrating prayer. It is prayer that calls upon God to show us, not just Himself, but our selves as well. It is prayer that cuts through all the "I want," "I need," "Please give," and gets down to the, "have mercy upon me a sinner."
Most of us know the acronym ACTS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Now there nothing wrong with this as a reminder of the components of prayer but I think if falls short of the whole of it. There is no explicit "letter" for seeking God's exposure of our hearts. It's easy to run through these parts of prayer without ever seeking God's exposure of our true and hidden spiritual needs - the nitty gritty. There is no depth demanded and I suspect (for I find it true in me) that there is no depth sought.
Prayer is, fundamentlly, a conversation - a two way conversation. Certainly we ought go to God with the common and even mundane requests that we are aware of but to do this and only this is perhaps a great waste of a great opportunity.
Most of our private prayers could be prayed in public with little alteration. They are shallow and halt - usually. Private prayer, as the Puritains saw it, was deep, gut wrenching, no-holds-barred, open your soul and heart and seek to expose the deepest of corruptions kind of prayers. They were blood-sweating prayers. They were prayers for holiness and righteousness of life - here now - for Him.
Oh, we may get close to that when we pray the "C" (confession) but God desires so much more of and for us and we must dig deeply into prayer to touch it. David asked God to "test," or "try" his heart to see if there was any wicked way in him. That's "any" wicked way not just the easily seen and comfortably remembered evil ways that we are at ease acknowledging.
I think sometimes that we are too comfortble in our redemption and justification. We wear it more tike a windbeaker than a heavy coat. What I mean is that we are more than willing to see our easy sins and rejoice in their forgiveness but we are rarey willing go dig deep into the cold and dark recesses of our souls to find what the Puritains called "heart sins" or the sins under the sins that are uder the sins. We fail to ask to see the utter corruption for which Christ came and suffered.
Private prayer is the time when we need to be digging deep. We need to be seeking God's exposure of just how badly we need Christ - just how very very much we need Him. It's the place where we drop the "I'm not so bad," approach to our sin and cry out to see exactly how "bad" we really are.
PS
Are these posts of any benefit to you? If they are or are not I would like to hear from you. Your input and/or encouragement would be a blessing and mercy. You can comment on the blog page of, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.
Bless you for your help!
Michael
Monday, March 17, 2014
Uses of Affliction 04 031714
Uses of Afflcition 04
3. Conviction of sin.
Now we quit preaching and go to meddleing :0.
There is nothing like an afflcition to clearly expose the depth of the remaining corruption we need to address. Nothing can expose the sin still lurking in our hearts like a good ol' afflcition.
Over the past 15 months or so as we have dealt with a certain amount of afflcition. Through it I have discovered sinfulness I never would have named as being my own. I have never known the depth of my self-love and selfishness until the Lord brought our afflcition.
Even as I was examining my faith and my attachment to the world (Uses 1 and 2) I was overwhelmed by the insidiousness of my sin. My pride and resentment, my presumption, my poor stewardship - it all was exposed to a degree I had never experienced.
Prayer was the first to fall. I discovered that many of my prayers were a redundant chorus of "me me me my my my mine mine mine IIIIIIII." I was shocked to say the least. But I would not have noticed had we not been under an affliction. They tend to get your focus on yourself in a real unhealthy way.
It took real focus and effort to correct my self-absorbed prayers but they were sin and had to be confronted and corrected - it certainly was convicting.
But more than the mechanics of our walk, afflcitions really drill down into our hearts and expose the silt and "stuff" - the sin - that still resides there. Anger, pride, resentment, presumption are just a few I've found and they were there in very subtle forms - but they were there.
They say that the most important thing to a shepherd is the fence that keeps the sheep in. That, from my experience, is very true. Afflictions come where and when we are outside the fence and they come to draw us back in. That's how good Shepherds work with their sheep.
We need to pay serious heed to the fact that "conviction" means we have been found guilty. Conviciton is a fact. Yes, we may have feelings that attend it but it is not a feeling. It is a cold hard fact! And affliction should bring conviction.
We need the heat of afflcitions to expose and draw off the dross in us, the sin in us. Without the refining heat of afflcition the dross simply keeps accumulating until we are full of it.
I read a piece today that stated something on the order of, 'In Christ we never lack anything we need. If we do not have it we may assume we do not need it (yet, if at all).'
Inversely may we not assume that if God takes something away it is becasue we need for it to be taken away? I think so.
But funadmentaly and critically afflictions bring (or should bring) conviction of sin. God is getting our attention and calling us to a deeper examination of our hearts. Do not assume yu will not find any sin there! You must! And in finding it you must accept the conviction (fact of your guilt) and then repentantly address the sin.
3. Conviction of sin.
Now we quit preaching and go to meddleing :0.
There is nothing like an afflcition to clearly expose the depth of the remaining corruption we need to address. Nothing can expose the sin still lurking in our hearts like a good ol' afflcition.
Over the past 15 months or so as we have dealt with a certain amount of afflcition. Through it I have discovered sinfulness I never would have named as being my own. I have never known the depth of my self-love and selfishness until the Lord brought our afflcition.
Even as I was examining my faith and my attachment to the world (Uses 1 and 2) I was overwhelmed by the insidiousness of my sin. My pride and resentment, my presumption, my poor stewardship - it all was exposed to a degree I had never experienced.
Prayer was the first to fall. I discovered that many of my prayers were a redundant chorus of "me me me my my my mine mine mine IIIIIIII." I was shocked to say the least. But I would not have noticed had we not been under an affliction. They tend to get your focus on yourself in a real unhealthy way.
It took real focus and effort to correct my self-absorbed prayers but they were sin and had to be confronted and corrected - it certainly was convicting.
But more than the mechanics of our walk, afflcitions really drill down into our hearts and expose the silt and "stuff" - the sin - that still resides there. Anger, pride, resentment, presumption are just a few I've found and they were there in very subtle forms - but they were there.
They say that the most important thing to a shepherd is the fence that keeps the sheep in. That, from my experience, is very true. Afflictions come where and when we are outside the fence and they come to draw us back in. That's how good Shepherds work with their sheep.
We need to pay serious heed to the fact that "conviction" means we have been found guilty. Conviciton is a fact. Yes, we may have feelings that attend it but it is not a feeling. It is a cold hard fact! And affliction should bring conviction.
We need the heat of afflcitions to expose and draw off the dross in us, the sin in us. Without the refining heat of afflcition the dross simply keeps accumulating until we are full of it.
I read a piece today that stated something on the order of, 'In Christ we never lack anything we need. If we do not have it we may assume we do not need it (yet, if at all).'
Inversely may we not assume that if God takes something away it is becasue we need for it to be taken away? I think so.
But funadmentaly and critically afflictions bring (or should bring) conviction of sin. God is getting our attention and calling us to a deeper examination of our hearts. Do not assume yu will not find any sin there! You must! And in finding it you must accept the conviction (fact of your guilt) and then repentantly address the sin.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Uses of Afflcition 02 031314
Uses of Affliction 02 031314
1. The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace or not.
When we are under any affliction it is quite common for us to do a lot of questioning.
One of the uses God makes of affliction and a use we can use is in questioning whether or not we are indeed in a state of grace (saved) or not. This is not a doubting of God's willingness or ability to save us but whether or not our confession is genuine.
Is this legitimate? It would appear from scripture that indeed it is.
In 2 Chronicles we read concerning Hezekiah:
2 Chronicles 32:31 NASB
. . . .God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
In afflictions we have a sense that God has "left" us and it is normal for us to be in distress. But one of the uses of afflcition is certainly that we might know what is truly in our hearts. Not to be trite but the questions in this instance might be, "is Jesus really in my heart?" "Is my confession of faith true?" "Am I really a child of God?"
Difficult and distressing questions - but questions that need to be asked.
We know how evil and fickled our hearts are and we know there are many whose confessions are mere ascent to a set of facts and not true faith (trust) in the saving power and Lorship of Jesus. Afflictions provide us with a context where these quesitons are not only appropriate but vital.
Consider the following:
1 Corinthians 11:28 NASB
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
Galatians 6:4 NASB
But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
2 Peter 1:10 NASB
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
None of these passages are directly connected to any afflcition. We are admonished to consistantly examine ourselves and our faith to determine its veracity, it's soundness. If we are so admonished to do so outside of any affliction how much more so in afflcition.
By afflcition God tests us. Not for His benefit but for our own. We need to know two things. That God is real and all He says He is and we need to know that our faith is genuine.
We should learn the blessing of afflcitions by embracing the opportunity for greater assurance of our faith. Afflictions are on the one hand tests - tests for us. They are tests that strip away all the comforts and causes of our ease so that we may determine wherther or not our faith/trust is truly in Him or whether it is mixed with our trust in other comforts and causes of ease.
I have grown to see afflcitions as a kind of second calling. When I stray, as all sheep tend to do, I get into trouble (which God ordains/allows to happen). I have learned to view the afflcition as God calling me either back to Him or to a unslullied trust in Him. Afflcitons are never pleasant but they do have purpose and there can be no greater purpose than for us to grow in our assurance that we are indeed His.
This is one of the reasons James can write:
James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Isn't is interesting that God will lead us into a place where we lose much of our comforts and there casues so that we may lack nothing - but that's for a later blog.
1. The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace or not.
When we are under any affliction it is quite common for us to do a lot of questioning.
One of the uses God makes of affliction and a use we can use is in questioning whether or not we are indeed in a state of grace (saved) or not. This is not a doubting of God's willingness or ability to save us but whether or not our confession is genuine.
Is this legitimate? It would appear from scripture that indeed it is.
In 2 Chronicles we read concerning Hezekiah:
2 Chronicles 32:31 NASB
. . . .God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
In afflictions we have a sense that God has "left" us and it is normal for us to be in distress. But one of the uses of afflcition is certainly that we might know what is truly in our hearts. Not to be trite but the questions in this instance might be, "is Jesus really in my heart?" "Is my confession of faith true?" "Am I really a child of God?"
Difficult and distressing questions - but questions that need to be asked.
We know how evil and fickled our hearts are and we know there are many whose confessions are mere ascent to a set of facts and not true faith (trust) in the saving power and Lorship of Jesus. Afflictions provide us with a context where these quesitons are not only appropriate but vital.
Consider the following:
1 Corinthians 11:28 NASB
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
Galatians 6:4 NASB
But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
2 Peter 1:10 NASB
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
None of these passages are directly connected to any afflcition. We are admonished to consistantly examine ourselves and our faith to determine its veracity, it's soundness. If we are so admonished to do so outside of any affliction how much more so in afflcition.
By afflcition God tests us. Not for His benefit but for our own. We need to know two things. That God is real and all He says He is and we need to know that our faith is genuine.
We should learn the blessing of afflcitions by embracing the opportunity for greater assurance of our faith. Afflictions are on the one hand tests - tests for us. They are tests that strip away all the comforts and causes of our ease so that we may determine wherther or not our faith/trust is truly in Him or whether it is mixed with our trust in other comforts and causes of ease.
I have grown to see afflcitions as a kind of second calling. When I stray, as all sheep tend to do, I get into trouble (which God ordains/allows to happen). I have learned to view the afflcition as God calling me either back to Him or to a unslullied trust in Him. Afflcitons are never pleasant but they do have purpose and there can be no greater purpose than for us to grow in our assurance that we are indeed His.
This is one of the reasons James can write:
James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Isn't is interesting that God will lead us into a place where we lose much of our comforts and there casues so that we may lack nothing - but that's for a later blog.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Heart Keepers 03 030514
Heart Keepers 03
3. Earnest supplication and instant prayers for purifying and rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered the heart.
Two things here are worthy of notice. The first is "earnest supplication." When we go to God in prayer we need to go with a full acknowledgement of the curruption that yet abides in our hearts. Our prayers must reflect the fact that we are still battling self-love and the fear of man and that even our best prayers are susupect.
Especially when under trials or afflictions our prayers can be mercenary to say the least. We want relief for our pain and struggle so badly that we will often find ourselves bartering with God for His provision. We are so focused on the immediate need that we can often hinder our own prayers by not praying fully and wholly.
Fully and wholly? There is so much to pray for, so many needs of the Kingdom and its citizens - so many brothers and sisters in distress. There is the church to pray for, those whose needs we know to pray for and in our distress and concern for our situation it is easy - all too easy - to just pray for ourselves without regard to the broader picture.
We can also find ourselves praying, "If" prayers. You know, "God if You will just X I will Y." This is bartering with God, trying to strike a deal. This hinders the effectiveness of our prayers by it's assumption that God "barters" His blessings and provision. This sullies and minimizes our prayers making them shallow and , well, wrong.
Secondly we need to be sensitive to the needs for "instant prayers," or timely prayers. These are prayers in and of the moment especially when it comes to heart sins. I know I have gone to God with my needs and failing to recognize the heart sins yet needing to be dealt with I have prayed ill and been sticken because of my shallowness and self-love.
Sin defiles and disorders our hearts to a greater extent than we see, so our prayers must seek His cleansing and ordering of our hearts. I would suggest that this needs to be the first part of our prayers. Praying about praying may sound strange but if our hearts are not in the right frame we will pray amiss.
Praying for purifying and rectifying grace may well need to precede any if not all our prayers. If you have ever (and I assume you have) been under affliction and in pain you know how the corruptions of the heart can twist your thinking and affect your praying. Taking time to pray about praying is one good way to discover and root out this sins that would hinder and hamper your prayers.
When you find that your heart is not right, when it is struggling with heart sins, there are always the Psalms that you can pray. The writers of the Psalms experienced the difficuties of life much as we do. They felt abandonded by God as we do. They felt overwhelmed by affliction as we do. They felt all was hopeless as we do. And yet they always return to trusting the Lord even when the motivation is that there is no one else to turn to (which asctually there isn't). They struggled with the same ehart sins we struggle with and their guidance in our rpayers can be a great blessing and instruction.
Heat sins will always be a struggle for God's people here. However we can not allow their commonness to go unaddressed. Keeping the heart is nowhere more critical than in the areqa of prayer. Prayer is fundamental to our relationship with God and we need for that relationship to be open and whole from our side as it is from His. Heart sins, an unkept heart, will hinder and disorder our prayers which in turn will hinder and disorder our walk and witness.
3. Earnest supplication and instant prayers for purifying and rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered the heart.
Two things here are worthy of notice. The first is "earnest supplication." When we go to God in prayer we need to go with a full acknowledgement of the curruption that yet abides in our hearts. Our prayers must reflect the fact that we are still battling self-love and the fear of man and that even our best prayers are susupect.
Especially when under trials or afflictions our prayers can be mercenary to say the least. We want relief for our pain and struggle so badly that we will often find ourselves bartering with God for His provision. We are so focused on the immediate need that we can often hinder our own prayers by not praying fully and wholly.
Fully and wholly? There is so much to pray for, so many needs of the Kingdom and its citizens - so many brothers and sisters in distress. There is the church to pray for, those whose needs we know to pray for and in our distress and concern for our situation it is easy - all too easy - to just pray for ourselves without regard to the broader picture.
We can also find ourselves praying, "If" prayers. You know, "God if You will just X I will Y." This is bartering with God, trying to strike a deal. This hinders the effectiveness of our prayers by it's assumption that God "barters" His blessings and provision. This sullies and minimizes our prayers making them shallow and , well, wrong.
Secondly we need to be sensitive to the needs for "instant prayers," or timely prayers. These are prayers in and of the moment especially when it comes to heart sins. I know I have gone to God with my needs and failing to recognize the heart sins yet needing to be dealt with I have prayed ill and been sticken because of my shallowness and self-love.
Sin defiles and disorders our hearts to a greater extent than we see, so our prayers must seek His cleansing and ordering of our hearts. I would suggest that this needs to be the first part of our prayers. Praying about praying may sound strange but if our hearts are not in the right frame we will pray amiss.
Praying for purifying and rectifying grace may well need to precede any if not all our prayers. If you have ever (and I assume you have) been under affliction and in pain you know how the corruptions of the heart can twist your thinking and affect your praying. Taking time to pray about praying is one good way to discover and root out this sins that would hinder and hamper your prayers.
When you find that your heart is not right, when it is struggling with heart sins, there are always the Psalms that you can pray. The writers of the Psalms experienced the difficuties of life much as we do. They felt abandonded by God as we do. They felt overwhelmed by affliction as we do. They felt all was hopeless as we do. And yet they always return to trusting the Lord even when the motivation is that there is no one else to turn to (which asctually there isn't). They struggled with the same ehart sins we struggle with and their guidance in our rpayers can be a great blessing and instruction.
Heat sins will always be a struggle for God's people here. However we can not allow their commonness to go unaddressed. Keeping the heart is nowhere more critical than in the areqa of prayer. Prayer is fundamental to our relationship with God and we need for that relationship to be open and whole from our side as it is from His. Heart sins, an unkept heart, will hinder and disorder our prayers which in turn will hinder and disorder our walk and witness.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Heart Keeping 02 030414
Heart Keepers 002
2. Deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders.
Paul exposes himself and us in Romans when he speaks of his own struggle with sin. For some of us this is, well, embarassing. Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament; a man to whom Christ revealed Himself after His ascention - this pillar of the faith had a constant and pernicious battle with heart eveils and disorders? Wow, do we even stand a chance?
Yes, we do! We most certainly do!
But we only have a chance if we desire a chance. What I mean is we must be motivated somehow to battle (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) each and every heart evil and disorder.
How can we be so motivated? Flavel uses and interesting term, "Humiliation." Not humbling but humiliation. This is a most uncomfortable idea. We work hard - very hard at never being humiliated and here it's presented as a necessary element in keeping the heart.
But can we be anything other than humiliated when we consider the cross? When we reflect upon the suffering both physical and spiritual that our Master was willing to endure for our sakes? Can we not find humiliation in our refusal to be humbled and made contrite? Can we not find humiliation in our failure to faithfully pursuer godliness and holiness in the face of the cost?
Humiliation requires exposure. Our deepest sins and secret desires must be exposed for us to have a sense of humiliation. It is not a casual thing not a common thing. We work very hard to resist and abait anything that might expose us to humiliation. We sneak and lie to avoid it. We critisize and complain to divert attention. We work very hard to fool others and ourselves.
Humiliation is hard to bear. But if the cost of not being humiliated is faithlessness, a hindered sanctification or a constant questioning of the veracity of our faith - isn't it reallly worth it?
Note though, it is not the sinful actions that Flavel calls us to humiliate - It is the sins in the heart. The deep deep recesses of our hearts need to have the light of the Word shone into them so that we may expose - to oursevles at least - the depth of our remaining depravity and disorder.
This is not to be done causally or lightly. It will be painful and irritating. You will suffer and struggle. But is we truly desire to live in the freedom Christ has bought us this must be done. Without it we remain wounded and bound, cheating ourselves of the freedom Christ paid for.
How? What are the "mechanics" of such a deep search and the resulting humiliation? I wish I had an easy answer, a simple "how to." But each of us much pray earnestly that God will first convict us of the need for such a search and will, by His Word, Spirit and perhaps the guidance of a godly mentor show us our "how."
I can only suggest some things. The first is, of course, prayer and not a short simple prayer. This is heart work and a great battle and demands great effort and submission. I have thought that actually stretching out of the floor in a postion of submission might be of help. Humbling ourselves physically can be an aid to humbling ouselves spiritually. Focusing on the target - a deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders - would be critical. Perhaps, should being prostrate on the floor not seem seemly to you, you could sit and write out your prayer for God to expose these twists in the heart.
Saturating yourself with the Word will be necessary. The Psalms are replete with prayers of this nature. Seek them out. Meditate on them. Ask God to make these prayers your prayers.
Foremost in all this is to beseach the Holy Spiriti to be the Holy Spirit in this. Claim the promise of His advocacy and His comfort. Demand - yes demand, that He work in your heart and your mind to bring the humiliation of exposure so that you may seek God's relief and release form these evils and disorders.
Paul was willng to "beat" his body daily to make it his slave and if he was willing to do that (figuratively) what are we willing to do that our hearts might know the blessed peace of Christ?
I don't believe there is any "magic means" to this goal. There is no formula, no recipe. But we have an arsenal of means for communicating with God and hearing from God that we may take up and use in this quest.
I have come to believe that if I take my faith seriously and truly desire to be conformed to His likeness that not only my mind but my heart must be renewed and renewed consistantly and constantly. I encourage you to pray earnestly for the conviction to seek that deep humiliation for the evils and disorders of the heart that as they are exposed and God addresses them we may be freed so we may remain free.
2. Deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders.
Paul exposes himself and us in Romans when he speaks of his own struggle with sin. For some of us this is, well, embarassing. Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament; a man to whom Christ revealed Himself after His ascention - this pillar of the faith had a constant and pernicious battle with heart eveils and disorders? Wow, do we even stand a chance?
Yes, we do! We most certainly do!
But we only have a chance if we desire a chance. What I mean is we must be motivated somehow to battle (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) each and every heart evil and disorder.
How can we be so motivated? Flavel uses and interesting term, "Humiliation." Not humbling but humiliation. This is a most uncomfortable idea. We work hard - very hard at never being humiliated and here it's presented as a necessary element in keeping the heart.
But can we be anything other than humiliated when we consider the cross? When we reflect upon the suffering both physical and spiritual that our Master was willing to endure for our sakes? Can we not find humiliation in our refusal to be humbled and made contrite? Can we not find humiliation in our failure to faithfully pursuer godliness and holiness in the face of the cost?
Humiliation requires exposure. Our deepest sins and secret desires must be exposed for us to have a sense of humiliation. It is not a casual thing not a common thing. We work very hard to resist and abait anything that might expose us to humiliation. We sneak and lie to avoid it. We critisize and complain to divert attention. We work very hard to fool others and ourselves.
Humiliation is hard to bear. But if the cost of not being humiliated is faithlessness, a hindered sanctification or a constant questioning of the veracity of our faith - isn't it reallly worth it?
Note though, it is not the sinful actions that Flavel calls us to humiliate - It is the sins in the heart. The deep deep recesses of our hearts need to have the light of the Word shone into them so that we may expose - to oursevles at least - the depth of our remaining depravity and disorder.
This is not to be done causally or lightly. It will be painful and irritating. You will suffer and struggle. But is we truly desire to live in the freedom Christ has bought us this must be done. Without it we remain wounded and bound, cheating ourselves of the freedom Christ paid for.
How? What are the "mechanics" of such a deep search and the resulting humiliation? I wish I had an easy answer, a simple "how to." But each of us much pray earnestly that God will first convict us of the need for such a search and will, by His Word, Spirit and perhaps the guidance of a godly mentor show us our "how."
I can only suggest some things. The first is, of course, prayer and not a short simple prayer. This is heart work and a great battle and demands great effort and submission. I have thought that actually stretching out of the floor in a postion of submission might be of help. Humbling ourselves physically can be an aid to humbling ouselves spiritually. Focusing on the target - a deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders - would be critical. Perhaps, should being prostrate on the floor not seem seemly to you, you could sit and write out your prayer for God to expose these twists in the heart.
Saturating yourself with the Word will be necessary. The Psalms are replete with prayers of this nature. Seek them out. Meditate on them. Ask God to make these prayers your prayers.
Foremost in all this is to beseach the Holy Spiriti to be the Holy Spirit in this. Claim the promise of His advocacy and His comfort. Demand - yes demand, that He work in your heart and your mind to bring the humiliation of exposure so that you may seek God's relief and release form these evils and disorders.
Paul was willng to "beat" his body daily to make it his slave and if he was willing to do that (figuratively) what are we willing to do that our hearts might know the blessed peace of Christ?
I don't believe there is any "magic means" to this goal. There is no formula, no recipe. But we have an arsenal of means for communicating with God and hearing from God that we may take up and use in this quest.
I have come to believe that if I take my faith seriously and truly desire to be conformed to His likeness that not only my mind but my heart must be renewed and renewed consistantly and constantly. I encourage you to pray earnestly for the conviction to seek that deep humiliation for the evils and disorders of the heart that as they are exposed and God addresses them we may be freed so we may remain free.
Monday, September 30, 2013
093013 Motes
John Owen wrote, "Most would rather hear of the doctrines of grace, the pardon of sin, and the free love of God than break the fallow ground of their hearts and see to the weeds and briars that grow thee, though this is the only way to come to a true knowledge of grace." (Indwelling Sin in Believers)
Self-examination is not something that comes naturally to either reprobate or redeemed. Certainly we avoid what we might call the "big" sins but we do that to avoid the unpleasant and public consequences more than we might do it for the glory of God. But as there are NO distinctions made between sins the fact that we are so prone to make distinctions tell us a great deal about the condition of our souls.
It would seem, at least in my experience, that it is so very hard to take the time and make the effort to find the mote in my eye, much less the log. Logs I can for the most part avoid. But this makes me wonder if in this teaching Jesus was not trying to tell us that our personal motes are in actuality logs. We will nit-pick another's sins while finding a comfortable means of avoiding doing the same for ourselves.
I would challenge us to take an accounting of our motes. One Puritan writer, his name fails me, tells us the the "small" sins we commit and dismiss are more heinous than the (supposed) great sins. The reason for this is that we commit the "lesser" sins with greater impunity thereby bringing greater insult to the glory of God and greater injury to our souls condition.
I would suggest that the apathy that is so prevalent in our age is now a part of our faith. We carve out a comfortable harmatology (theology of sin) and do all we can to abide there regardless of the effort needed to maintain the self-deception.
I was talking with a friend who had just taken a very expensive vacation and was struck by the phrase, "I earned it, I deserved to take a break." What distressed me was what appeared to be his utter disregard for the fact that he had earned nothing. Though he labors diligently in his profession he seems to have no understaaning that everything he has is a gift, a blessing, a mercy from the heart of God. Nor did he seem to realize that his attitude expressed a certain selfishness concerning this merciful provision.
These are the motes we need to seek to root out. Where do we fail to keep God's providence and His intent for that providence? How do we get to a point where we even think there is a possessive "mine" to any of God's merciful providence? Yet, I - we do that so very often. How do we experientially repent of such subtle sins as this?
Self-examination - diligent and disciplined - is demanded. Certainly as His child I am secure in my salvation but am I faithful in it? Is He indeed the sovereign Lord to whom all things belong and for whom all things should be done? Or is He a co-sovereign Lord who at some point abdicates to me and allows me to reign over what He alone has provided.
Yes, we may have to work terribly hard in and for what He provides. Long ours and hard work may be our daily lot but regardless of any effort or sacrifice on our part it is all from His providence and it is all, always His. It never - ever- becomes ours. This is a "mote" that is truly a log. This is that one drop of poison that poisons the whole cup.
Self-examination is not something that comes naturally to either reprobate or redeemed. Certainly we avoid what we might call the "big" sins but we do that to avoid the unpleasant and public consequences more than we might do it for the glory of God. But as there are NO distinctions made between sins the fact that we are so prone to make distinctions tell us a great deal about the condition of our souls.
It would seem, at least in my experience, that it is so very hard to take the time and make the effort to find the mote in my eye, much less the log. Logs I can for the most part avoid. But this makes me wonder if in this teaching Jesus was not trying to tell us that our personal motes are in actuality logs. We will nit-pick another's sins while finding a comfortable means of avoiding doing the same for ourselves.
I would challenge us to take an accounting of our motes. One Puritan writer, his name fails me, tells us the the "small" sins we commit and dismiss are more heinous than the (supposed) great sins. The reason for this is that we commit the "lesser" sins with greater impunity thereby bringing greater insult to the glory of God and greater injury to our souls condition.
I would suggest that the apathy that is so prevalent in our age is now a part of our faith. We carve out a comfortable harmatology (theology of sin) and do all we can to abide there regardless of the effort needed to maintain the self-deception.
I was talking with a friend who had just taken a very expensive vacation and was struck by the phrase, "I earned it, I deserved to take a break." What distressed me was what appeared to be his utter disregard for the fact that he had earned nothing. Though he labors diligently in his profession he seems to have no understaaning that everything he has is a gift, a blessing, a mercy from the heart of God. Nor did he seem to realize that his attitude expressed a certain selfishness concerning this merciful provision.
These are the motes we need to seek to root out. Where do we fail to keep God's providence and His intent for that providence? How do we get to a point where we even think there is a possessive "mine" to any of God's merciful providence? Yet, I - we do that so very often. How do we experientially repent of such subtle sins as this?
Self-examination - diligent and disciplined - is demanded. Certainly as His child I am secure in my salvation but am I faithful in it? Is He indeed the sovereign Lord to whom all things belong and for whom all things should be done? Or is He a co-sovereign Lord who at some point abdicates to me and allows me to reign over what He alone has provided.
Yes, we may have to work terribly hard in and for what He provides. Long ours and hard work may be our daily lot but regardless of any effort or sacrifice on our part it is all from His providence and it is all, always His. It never - ever- becomes ours. This is a "mote" that is truly a log. This is that one drop of poison that poisons the whole cup.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Worship 002
Deuteronomy 11:16 ESV
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
We can not help but acknowledge that our hearts are at best fickled and at worse they are deceitful beyond measure. Even though we are redeemed and set apart for, in and to Him our hearts are still prone to waywardness, rebellion and self-seeking. Certainly, as we mature, we expect to see our hearts grow stronger and wiser and more faithfu but there's no easy or quick (or here, definitive) way for that to happen.
Examining our hearts in light of the Word under the guidance of the Spirit was a practice, indeed a duty the Puritains placed great emphasis on. This examination was not just some curosry "check-up" but a deep and intense examination a spiritual angiogram if you will. They saw this as essential not only for maturation in the faith but for the glorification of God. I believee that regardless of how much time and effort we spend in the Word and prayer, if we do not purpose it to examine our hearts, it is little more than busy work.
David prays:
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
A very bold prayer and one we would be well advised to not just pray asking but pray demanding. It's a risk, it's dangerous because God must say "Yes!" It is a risk and an danger because it will result in a deep and perhaps painful challenge to many of the things we thought we had right.
But unless we are willing to pray this and accept what He shows us we have casue to question if indeed we are His or not. To ignore the need for self- and God's examination of our hearts and/or to fail to acknowledge and respond to what is found is a sin of self-protective rebellion and a self-abusive sin.
It is perhaps in regard to worship that our hearts need close examination - which too little of which is ever done. The church has wandered into the morass of comfort, convenience and culture that has alienated her from her head and sorely weakened her witness. We have stacked so many pretty things, practices and ideas around worship that only a very dim light can be seen.
Where we should be focused on what God prefers we focus on what we prefer. Instead of seeking and practicing what God requires we seek and practice what our flesh and the unbeliever requires. Our worship has become more about us and less and less about God.
We promote worship as contemporary or traditional. The real issue is whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, holy or profane, reverent or rebellious. We have not only brought strange fire to God's worship but we have laid aside some of the most fundamental tenets of the faith. We have abandoned the main and plain truths for the bright and shiny deceptions. We have made worship an issue of "What's in it for me (us/them)?" instead of "What's in it for Him?"
This is nothing new. The first murder resulted from unacceptable worship. So we can take some strange comfort in the fact that this is a common and continuous problem. but that strange comfort must convict us and bring us to repentance. it should drive us to the Word to do the hard work of examining OUR hearts in regard to worship and what we think, believe, want, don't want, etc.
We must prayerfully cry out for God to show us how to worship Him not just in spirit but in truth as well. The "how" of our worship is a clear indication of the "who" of our worship. We need, individually and collectively to examine our worship (inside and out) to see if it is what He wants.
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
We can not help but acknowledge that our hearts are at best fickled and at worse they are deceitful beyond measure. Even though we are redeemed and set apart for, in and to Him our hearts are still prone to waywardness, rebellion and self-seeking. Certainly, as we mature, we expect to see our hearts grow stronger and wiser and more faithfu but there's no easy or quick (or here, definitive) way for that to happen.
Examining our hearts in light of the Word under the guidance of the Spirit was a practice, indeed a duty the Puritains placed great emphasis on. This examination was not just some curosry "check-up" but a deep and intense examination a spiritual angiogram if you will. They saw this as essential not only for maturation in the faith but for the glorification of God. I believee that regardless of how much time and effort we spend in the Word and prayer, if we do not purpose it to examine our hearts, it is little more than busy work.
David prays:
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
A very bold prayer and one we would be well advised to not just pray asking but pray demanding. It's a risk, it's dangerous because God must say "Yes!" It is a risk and an danger because it will result in a deep and perhaps painful challenge to many of the things we thought we had right.
But unless we are willing to pray this and accept what He shows us we have casue to question if indeed we are His or not. To ignore the need for self- and God's examination of our hearts and/or to fail to acknowledge and respond to what is found is a sin of self-protective rebellion and a self-abusive sin.
It is perhaps in regard to worship that our hearts need close examination - which too little of which is ever done. The church has wandered into the morass of comfort, convenience and culture that has alienated her from her head and sorely weakened her witness. We have stacked so many pretty things, practices and ideas around worship that only a very dim light can be seen.
Where we should be focused on what God prefers we focus on what we prefer. Instead of seeking and practicing what God requires we seek and practice what our flesh and the unbeliever requires. Our worship has become more about us and less and less about God.
We promote worship as contemporary or traditional. The real issue is whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, holy or profane, reverent or rebellious. We have not only brought strange fire to God's worship but we have laid aside some of the most fundamental tenets of the faith. We have abandoned the main and plain truths for the bright and shiny deceptions. We have made worship an issue of "What's in it for me (us/them)?" instead of "What's in it for Him?"
This is nothing new. The first murder resulted from unacceptable worship. So we can take some strange comfort in the fact that this is a common and continuous problem. but that strange comfort must convict us and bring us to repentance. it should drive us to the Word to do the hard work of examining OUR hearts in regard to worship and what we think, believe, want, don't want, etc.
We must prayerfully cry out for God to show us how to worship Him not just in spirit but in truth as well. The "how" of our worship is a clear indication of the "who" of our worship. We need, individually and collectively to examine our worship (inside and out) to see if it is what He wants.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
What's "more than?" 012413
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Mat 6:25)
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
"Life," here is the Greek word for "breath." It carries for us the meaning we see in Genesis where God "breathed" life into Adam. Call it what you are comfortable with but the intent is for us to consider now so much our "living" but our "life" itself.
The Westminster Cataclysm asks what man's "end" his sole "end it. The response it to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This, in brief is what "life" is for. It is the main and plain purpose for us - for all men - but especially for believers
"Body," is the word "soma" meaning the body as a "sound whole." It directs us to the fact that we are not a this and a that and another thing but rather we are a "whole" creature.
Jesus is taking us to a place that most of us find, well, kind of weird. He is talking about (I think) more God's desire for us as living creatures than He is about just the physical, mental and spiritual "parts" we find is so convenient to discuss in isolation from one another. We are a whole being whose existence is utterly dependent upon the "breath" that gives us life.
It is not only what we are (and are intended for) but that God given "breath" that allowed us to become living souls.
So what's the point?
Perhaps it is that we worry too much about what sustains and adorns the "body" and what our "life" achieves instead of our fundamental purpose. Which is, as we've said, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever - even here.
Well, you'll not find yourself "enjoying" God here without the requisite "glorifying" of God here. The enjoyment can only be experienced in the glorification.
John 9 is my favorite chapter in all the Word. Jesus is asked if a certain man was born blind because of his sin or his parent's sin. Jesus replies:
"It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. (Joh 9:3)
God is glorified in the miracle of this man receiving his sight. But as wonderful as this is we must accept that the man was afflicted with blindness from birth. This was not a condition in that day that has the options available in ours.
Consider:
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
(Rom 8:16-18)
Many of you are "suffering" now and I am sure, like us, you want a reason. Paul gives it here. Keep in mind that Paul did not just suffer persecution, he suffered from all the everyday, garden varieties of difficulties and affliction we suffer.
When we read of suffering in the Word we need to be very aware that if there were no sin there would not even be a "common" cold or allergies or infections. Living in a fallen world, for the redeemed, must be understood as a time of suffering - either ordinary suffering or extra-ordinary suffering.
BUT - regardless of which type of suffering we are experiencing it is for His glory so that His works made be seen. His glory will be seen in His magnificent deliverance and/or in our faithful trusting and standing for Him.
It is His faithfulness and our faithfulness that is more than food or clothing - or anything else.
Consider:
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (2Co 1:9)
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2Co 4:11)
. . . . as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. (Php 1:20)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Php 3:7-8)
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
(1Pe 5:10)
I pray that you and I can grow in our knowledge and love of God that we might, like Paul and Peter (and soooo many others) come to understand that through His power and Spirit we can accept whatever He allows (or brings) into our lives and that He will be glorified in our faithfulness.
I know some of you are wondering why these blogs are so personal and intimate. Well, if Paul finds it appropriate to "boast" in his weakness I will follow his example - praying that God will be glorified. God is strong and gracious to deliver and he is strong and gracious to sustain. As He works in our lives He is glorified as we rely upon Him for it.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2Co 12:9)
“This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus.” ― John Newton
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Check your "log!" 012313
Matthew 6:24 ESV
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We've had a look at the love of money and how it can be so subtle and easy to miss. And that led me to greed. Yeah, ouch!
See like to think of greed as we do avarice. If it's not big and obvious and abusive then it must not be there. Right? Well not really.
See, we have been somewhat numbed to sin as sin with no degrees or shades. We have actually come to a place where we talk about "little" sins and "big" sins. We have even come to find comfort in opposing and fighting some sins while conveniently ignoring others.
Oh, this is nothing "new" but in considering the passage in Matthew I was struck that it is a clear either/or with no buffer room at all. So, if I am a "little greedy," or a little mammonish I'm on the wrong side of the line.
Yes, we all sin. But we must keep the following in mind AND heart:
1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We will not cease to battle sin this side of heaven but it is a battle we must keep clearly in view. We must faithfully seek the Spirit's conviction, faithfully confess our sins and faithfully repent - knowing His promise of forgiveness is realized through the blessing of conviction and repentance.
Consider also:
Luke 6:41-42 ESV
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
Our sin should be "logs" to us. Our brothers' sins but specks. God did not forgive me my brothers' sins but my own. He did not die for my brothers' sin to redeem me but died for my sins.
I have no "specks" only logs. If I have grown to see them as specks I am well and sadly deceived. But, being received is not sin, just it's "on ramp.". If I do not seek/pray to discover my decievedness then I sin. If I ignore my deception when it is exposed, I sin.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Examine yourselves!!
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. (2Co 13:5-6)
Examine: peirázō = to ascertain the character of some hing, someone
In the faith: a true believer
Test: dokimásō = to prove a thing worthy
Fail the test: adókimos = prove to be spurious; unapproved
As I pray and study the Word and read the works of our Puritan fore-fathers I grow more and more convinced that somewhere along the way we have so cheapened and minimized the "Way" (Acts 19:9) that the designation "christian" is for all intents and purposes, meaningless.
The term "christian" was originally used as a pejorative term intended to vilify followers of the Christ. Today it most aptly commonly describes those whom can only be called false believers or hypocrites. When someone asks you if you are a "christian" ask them what they mean by "christian." My experience has been that what they describe bears little resemblance to the "Way" as it is taught by the Word of God.
What passes for common christianity today is but a sorrowful caricature of the true faith.
Through what I see as the cultural compromise of the faith we have fallen into the condition of Israel at the end of the book of Judges.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Jdg 21:25)
Though it is still proclaimed as true, in almost every practical sense Christ is not held as King and everyone does what it right in their own eyes. We have moved further into a faith that has no crosses in it. We have moved deeper into a cheapening of grace and a rejection of God's sovereignty.
What passes for the "Way" is not the "Way" we find in the Word. Indeed in our making Jesus our own, we have made a Jesus of our own. In even supposing and implying that we "make Him Lord and/or Savior" we have, at the very first, denied God's sovereignty in the redemption.
To "accept" Jesus as Lord and/or Savior has come to mean that we "allow" Him to save us. We do Him a kindness by accepting His death so He'll feel good about Himself. It no longer means that we fall to His feet in utter recognition of our sin and our need for His salvation and His absolute right to condemn us. No, we do Him a good turn by joining His team - by telling Him He, "did really good," so we'll let Him save us.
Let me put it plain and main - If you do not recognize the utter hopelessness of your sinful state before God and your deserving or His righteous condemnation - then regardless of what you "say" about Jesus, you are none of His. Unless your heart has been broken by your sin and His taking it upon Himself on the cross, you are none of His. Unless you have acknowledged that He has every sovereign right over all of your life - that he is indeed King of Kings and Lord of Lords - and you kneel before Him in surrender of your self to His authority, you are none of His. Unless, by His gracious providence, the Holy Spirit has convicted you of the worthlessness of your every effort in redemption and sanctification apart from the provision of God and His power - you are none of His.
Unless, in relation to Him, you hate everything and everyone, you are none of a His. Unless you live in Him, by Him, under Him and for Him - you are none of His.
Do you pray much, study the word much, examine yourself much, give much? Then you may well be none of His. Are you raising your children in the Lord? if not you may be none of His.
Is your walk with God the absolute priority in your life? If not you may be none of His.
I will say this - and I do so because have been convicted and I am convinced by the Word of God, that unless you are humbly, depending upon His promises and power, seeking to obey Him in all the duties and obligations appropriate to a citizen of His Kingdom you may well be none of His.
If you are not healthily obsessed with His glory and honor, you may well be none of His.
His Word and His Spirit must be working in His to enable them to serve Him with all their minds, hearts and strength - and we must know that our minds, heart and strength, apart from His providence and power, are never enough.
Where is the zeal for Him and His Kingdom? Where is the single focused commitment to be conformed to His likeness? Where is the crushing conviction of our sinfulness and His graciousness?
Where is that cry, "Not I but Christ!"
I do not have any pleasure is writing this for it is indeed as much about me as it is anyone else. But it is about all of us who would claim He is our Lord - utterly. It is not about your goodness but His. It is not about our righteousness but His. It is not about us but Him.
Are you a tare of a stalk of wheat? Are you a sheep or a goat? Are you His or are you still your own?
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.
(2Co 13:5-6)
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