Marriage as an Instructor in the Grace of God

It is safe to say that we are all tolerant of imperfection. We are surrounded by a bunch of sinners (Romans 3:23) who constantly break the law of God. The bible tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it” (Jeremiah 17:9). Now that you know this is not going to be one of those “try to make you feel good columns,” you can brace yourself. Of course, when we speak of the gospel, the good news always follows the bad news. Yes, we are humbled by the reality of our depravity, but only when we truly understand our condition can we also marvel and rejoice at the grace of God in Christ.

 

Perhaps one of the reasons we are tolerant and accepting of the imperfections of others is because we know we are no different. If I were to demand perfection from others, I would be required to hold myself to that same standard and I know I can’t do that. Something that never ceases to amaze me is the fact that my wife tolerates me even with all my imperfections. More than anyone else, Stephane has to put up with me and sometimes (I hate to write this) be hurt by me. If you are married, the person you will hurt more than anyone else is your spouse. Obviously, this has something to do with the fact that you spend so much time together, but how tragic that the person with whom you love so much is also the person you hurt so much.

 

I have only been married for 3 and a half years, but my wife’s acceptance of me (flaws and all) has taught me something of the grace of God. It reminds me of how God is accepting of me even though I am a deeply sinful man. Unlike us, God cannot be accepting of imperfection. A holy God (Isaiah 6) cannot tolerate sin and unrighteousness. This is where the Son of God comes to our rescue. As Romans 5:8 explains, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What this tells us is that by no merit of our own can we be acceptable before God. It is only through the righteousness of Christ.

 

You ask; how can I receive this righteous? How can I be made acceptable and worthy to stand before a holy God? Answer: through faith in Christ. The apostle Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). No amount of effort in your own strength could ever be enough to satisfy the demands of a just and holy God. However, the merit of Christ is sufficient satisfy those demands. Along with this, you must repent of your sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

 

Marriage has brought a ton of blessings into my life, but one of the unexpected blessings was coming to a better understanding of the grace of God in Christ. Like we read in Proverbs, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:10-12).

Is Marriage Simply a 50-50 Partnership?

Lately, I have heard some people describe marriage as a 50-50 partnership. In order for a marriage to work, they say that each spouse must do their “half” of the work. When marriages function from a 60-40 ratio or even a 70-30 breakdown, the marriage suffers, or so they say.

 

From the first time I heard this, something about it didn’t sit right with me. It’s not that I think one spouse should do everything and the other just sit back and reap the rewards. Not at all. It just seemed to me like something was off with this and I needed a resolution to my dilemma.

 

I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed with a discerning and insightful wife. When I brought this up to her, she didn’t give it two seconds thought before she helped me understand the problem. Stephane explained, “It’s better to think of marriage as a 100-100 partnership.” I soon realized that she was right. Each spouse must be willing to give 100% in order for the marriage to thrive under God.

 

You will have to forgive me if this sounds like an unnecessary matter of semantics. I can see some people thinking that it is possible to put forth 100% effort while still only doing 50% of the work. But I do think this is important and even worth some thought. For example, who decides what equals 50%? I am sure that there are tons of couples who think they are doing their 50% while the other spouse is failing to do their half. Naturally, conflict arises because 40-40 just doesn’t cut it.

 

Another problem is agreeing on who does what. Let’s just say the husband works full-time while the wife stays home with the kids. Obviously, no sane person would say the wife is not working, even though she is not bringing home a paycheck. But how do you break down 50-50 in a situation like that? Answer: it’s really tough.

 

Another potential problem with this equation emerges when life takes an unexpected turn. Let’s just say that your marriage has operated under the 50-50 agreement for several years and it seems to work for you. Each person does their share and everybody is happy. But what happens when the wife becomes ill and is bedridden for months on end. The husband is now required to do far more than his 50% share. My guess is that he is going to feel cheated because he’s doing most of the work.

 

See if you think this sounds like 50-50 or 100-100:

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…..Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:25, 28-29).

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like 100-100 to me. If husbands are to truly “love their wives, as Christ loved the church,” it will require no small measure of the grace of God and a 100% commitment. Paul illustrates this truth in a powerful way. What man doesn’t take care of his body? I don’t see a whole lot of guys starving themselves to death. Well, in the same way we care for ourselves, we need to care for our wives.

 

In case you did not know this already, you married a sinner. They are not perfect, but then again, neither are you. Rather than worry about all the faults and failings of your spouse, and about all the times where they fail to do 50%, why not commitment yourself to giving 100% regardless of what percentage “you think” your spouse does. You will find this works a whole lot better than the 50-50 agreement does. Two people (man and wife) who are committed to serving one another and doing whatever they can to see their spouse thrive and grow is what a biblical marriage is all about.

 

 

Do we really live with a sense of Divine Mission?

How many Christians truly live with a sense of purpose and calling in their lives?

Recently, I was listening to a sermon by John MacArthur about the prophet Jeremiah when he said something that really caught my attention:

“Whoever doesn’t have a sense of being predestined by God to service will never lead a spiritual revolution. Most people living in the church today have no sense of divine mission, they’re just bouncing from job to job and event to event, an engagement to engagement, and activity to activity. That’s the way they live, that’s the way they raise their kids. There’s no sense of an overarching divine mission. There’s no sense, and this is tragic, in the life of believers that the birth of every believer was ordained by God, the death of every believer was ordained by God, which means the middle was ordained by God and for purposes that advance the name of Christ and the glory of the Kingdom, and that’s the last thing on our priority list.” By the way, this sermon can be accessed at the Grace to You website www.gty.org and under the title: A Prophetic Message to an Ungodly Nation (Jeremiah).

What if our churches were filled with people who were driven by a sense of Divine mission? Knowing that God ordained their existence (Psalm 139:13-16) and predestined them to a life of holiness and righteousness (Ephesians 1:4), what if they lived as if every day mattered for eternity? What if, knowing that their lives were not their own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), Christians lived for the glory of God alone? If this was truly a reality, I think our churches would be a lot different.

Unfortunately, MacArthur is right. Most professing Christians don’t live with a sense of Divine mission. Perhaps that’s one reason why most churches today are so weak. What do you think?

Discipleship Through the Word of God

This morning I met with my friend John Mccracken for breakfast. We enjoyed good food and fellowship but there was a greater purpose for this meeting – bible study. Today we worked through the second half of Romans 15 and were greatly blessed by the inspired words of Paul.

What takes place in our weekly meetings reminds me of Acts 8:26-35:

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he opens not his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth.”

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:26-35 ESV)

With John being a newer Christian, it is my great joy to open up the Scriptures and explain them to him. Just as Philip explained the Scriptures to the Ethiopian eunuch, I try to do that with John so that he can better grasp God’s Word. Does this mean that I don’t learn anything? On the contrary, I probably learn more than if I was being taught by someone else. But this is what discipleship is all about. As we dig into the Word of God, we have the great privilege of sitting at the feet of the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is important to note that discipleship takes place in a number of different ways and a number of different contexts. One-to-one discipleship, in the manner that John and I do, can be very effective, but it is not the only way. Discipleship happens in small-group bible studies, Sunday school classes, prayer meetings, and a variety of other settings. The key is to get involved in these types of learning environments where the Word of God is being lifted up and faithfully taught. Remember, a disciple is simply a “learner” or an “apprentice.” But keep in mind that we don’t learn for the sole purpose of getting “big heads” and being puffed up with knowledge. Rather, we commit ourselves to learning with the goal of having “big hearts” that are transformed by the truth of God. Only then will we be equipped to serve in this world as ambassadors for Christ.

I want to challenge you to (1) commit yourself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ and (2) to find another person to disciple and point in the direction of the Savior, as you study the bible together.

You might have noticed that there is an assumption I bring to this post. In case you missed it, this was my assumption. The disciple of Jesus Christ will have as his textbook the Word of God. You simply cannot call yourself a disciple and not immerse yourself in the Bible. As Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). God has spoken through His Word and now it is our job to listen and apply what we learn as the Spirit of God empowers us.

 

The Challenge of Discipleship

Most Christians are familiar with the Great Commission. Before leaving them, Jesus told His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). In this post I want to look at this sometimes forgotten component of the Great Commission – discipleship.

So what is a disciple? According to my dictionary, a disciple is “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosophy.” Thus, a Christian is a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ. In the early chapters of the gospels, we read how Jesus called the first disciples. “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:16-18). It always strikes me every time I read this how quickly they responded to the call of Jesus.

It is clear that Jesus spent time teaching the masses and had lots of close followers, but he only chose 12 disciples. Obviously, he did this for a reason. Jesus knew that he could give more to 12 men then he could to 50 or 100 men. Over the course of 3 years, the disciples apprenticed under Jesus and witnessed incredible things. As John tells us, “Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). But even after 3 years of the best education on the planet, they were still not ready. Only after the resurrection, did they finally “get it” and were ready for the mission at hand.

What was the mission, you might be wondering? “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Disciples making disciples making disciples making disciples – you get the point.

Everything I have said so far is pretty basic. I am assuming that at this point you are tracking with me. But here is my challenge for you – are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? I am not asking if you attend church or if you are part of a small group bible study or if you pray daily or if you ____________xyz. I am simply asking; have you ‘left your nets’ to follow Jesus? Have you left your old life to sit at the feet of a new Master?

Before we put to practice 2 Timothy 2:2, we must first settle the question of our own commitment to Christ. Only when we have sat under the Jesus will we be ready to “teach others also.”

In my next post, we will dig deeper into the “how” of discipleship. Hope to see you back.

What Happened at the Cross?

1. The wrath of God was absorbed in Jesus Christ – completely, finally, decisively. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13).
2. Christ bore our sins – every sin. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
3. Christ provided a perfect righteousness that comes to us through faith. “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9)
4. Christ defeated death, through His death. “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).
5. Christ disarmed Satan. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15).
6. Christ purchased our sure access to God. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Adapted from a message John Piper preached on “Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ.”

How do we receive Christ as supremely valuable?

Last week I wrote an article where I argued (with the help of pastor John Piper) that receiving Christ involves receiving Him as supremely valuable and not simply on our own terms. In response to this article, a good friend of mine remarked that there are times when he struggles to make Christ (using my language) his “greatest treasure.” Giving the fact that this is a struggle for many of us, I thought it would be appropriate to write a follow-up article.

As I pondered this important question, two parables from the gospel of Matthew came to mind. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46). These parables are short and sweet. The basic meaning is that while the kingdom of heaven is hidden to most, the few who find it are willing to go to great lengths to posses this hidden treasure.

Keep in mind that this is a parable, which means we have to be careful how we interpret these verses. Jesus is not saying that we must use our own resources to find salvation. Rather, Jesus is saying that those who freely receive the gift of God in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9) are willing to part ways with all their worldly treasure. Having found something far superior (Christ) to what once held value in their lives, they gladly let go of those treasures because of the supreme value of knowing Christ. The apostle Paul writes, “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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).

It is safe to say that the world has a way of distracting us from Christ. In the same way that Santa Claus has a way of taking our focus off the true meaning of Christmas, so too does the world’s values distract us from following Christ. When we invest ourselves in what is earthly it shows that our priorities are not invested in the One who has infinite value, the Son of God. Therefore, we must constantly battle against our fleshly nature, and pray that our affections remain in Christ. As Paul tells, “If you then have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

While this is certainly not easy, it is necessary and required by God. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). If your heart is taken with the things of the world, then they will be your reward. But if your heart has been captivated by Christ and He is your hidden treasure, God will reward you with eternal life in the presence of Christ. The choice is yours, friend.

May God richly bless you.

What Makes a Church Relevant?

Yesterday I met with a group of pastors to discuss how we can be “relevant” as churches. There were a lot of ideas brought forth in our discussion and I don’t intend to regurgitate everything that was said. What I would like to do is share with you where I landed in this whole discussion.

Obviously “relevance” is one of those buzz words that is often tossed around today. Most people want to be relevant and that includes pastors and their churches. But how do we find relevancy? How do we speak to a culture that would rather not give us a voice as Christians?

In the recent past, churches have tried to remain relevant by being “cutting edge.” One example of this is worship music. In the 70’s and 80’s, many churches changed their style of music so that guitars, drums, keyboards, etc. became a regular part of the Sunday morning worship service. Countless “worship wars” were fought on this front and it’s still a touchy issue in certain churches, even to this day. I am not here to tell you that one side was right and the other wrong, but simply to note that the introduction of “rock n roll” and bands like the Beetles no doubt played a part in this shift. People asked; why should church music be boring when the songs on the radio are hip and groovy? And so the ball got moving and a worship music transition was underway.

I will never forget one of the classes I took in college. The class was called “Understanding Today’s Youth Culture” and what we learned during that week of classes can be summarized in one sentence. If we are going to understand today’s youth culture, we must enter into the culture. Seriously, that’s what the class was all about. We were instructed to watch the same movies, listen to the same music, play the same video games, and so on. We were actually assigned a movie to watch during class time. My group ended up watching a terribly vulgar and disturbing movie that was not at all pleasing to the Lord. Yes it’s true – I actually paid money to take that class.

You know and I know that we don’t need to immerse ourselves in the culture to know that people are hurting today and in need of the Lord. Being relevant does not mean we do all the things the world does. Rather, the best way to be relevant and to speak to the world around us is by living holy lives. As the apostle Peter tells us:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9-12).

The best way to be “relevant” is to live lives that are set apart unto God. When the people of God truly love one another and serve the world around them, it becomes clear that the Spirit of God has done a work in their lives. People will take notice simply because that type of lifestyle is so rare these days. Wow! Those Christians actually love one another. Wow! Their lives are actually different and praiseworthy!

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that we tenaciously cling to the “old ways,” whatever the old ways might be. All too often the only justification ever given as to why we do something is simply “we’ve always done it that way.” If that’s the only reason you can come up with, then it’s not good enough. But I am also not suggesting that we do everything in our power to stay “cutting edge.” Often, the tool or the technique that you think will make you relevant today will probably be obsolete 6 months from now. That’s just the reality of our world. Try as you may, but there will always be another church down the street that is more cutting edge and hip than your church.

Jesus said, “In the same way, let your life shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). So what makes a church relevant? The answer lies in the people of the church and the character of the lives they lead. A life that shines is a “relevant” life. I guarantee you that a life transformed by the power of Christ’s gospel will speak to this hurting world. And no matter how hard the secular world tries to muzzle our voice and influence, they can’t deny the way we live.

 

 

What does it mean to receive Christ?

Few professing Christians would deny the fact that receiving Christ is necessary for salvation. In the gospel of John we read, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) This is a precious promise I will gladly proclaim for the rest of my life. But we must ask a follow-up question; what does it mean to receive Christ? If receiving Christ is the path to salvation, what does that path look like? If you said faith and repentance, you are on the right track, but I want to go deeper into what that will mean for our lives.

Our adult Sunday School class is currently working through a study called Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, by John Piper. The title is simply a play on words from Psalm 34:8. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” In our most recent study, Piper explains how many people have a mistaken notion of what it means to receive Christ. He describes it this way: “We receive Christ as ‘sin forgiver’ because we love being guilt free. We receive Christ as ‘rescuer from hell’ because we don’t want to burn. We receive Christ as ‘healer’ because we love being disease free. We receive Christ as ‘protector’ because we love being safe. We receive Christ as ‘prosperity giver’ because we love money. And we receive Christ as ‘Creator’ because we love having an ordered universe.”

Here’s the kicker – we receive Christ in all these ways and more, but we don’t receive Christ as SUPREMELY VALUABLE. In other words, we receive Christ in such a way that requires no change in human nature. He is simply a ticket we flash whenever we need it. Piper goes on to explain that receiving Christ in this way is not truly receiving Christ. Without question, this is controversial, but Piper is right.

When you truly receive Christ, it means that Jesus Christ is now more glorious, satisfying, beautiful, and desirable than anything else in the world. Every day we have the great privilege of tasting and savoring the goodness of God in Christ. The more we come to know Christ, the more we enjoy Him. And the more we see of Christ, the less we are captivated by the world. We begin to realize that the things of the world simply cannot compare to the glory of Christ.

So unless you receive Christ as supremely valuable, you have not received Christ at all. Jesus once said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37) I love my wife a ton. In fact I love her more and more every day. I also love my twin daughters like crazy. They are wonderful gifts from God. But the Scriptures are clear – if I love my family more than I love Christ, I am not worthy of Christ. The same is true of my job, my possessions or anything else. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) If Christ is not your greatest treasure, then what makes you think you will be rewarded with His presence in eternity?

How tragic it is that many people today have a mistaken notion of receiving Christ. While they might see Him as being their ticket to a better life, they don’t see Jesus as supremely valuable – their greatest treasure. So test yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5) and then take hold of Christ.

The Bible in a Year

This past Sunday at church, I passed out a one-year bible reading plan to our congregation. I encouraged them to consider reading through the Bible over the next 365 days. I know it can be challenging to maintain that kind of pace, but the benefits are enormous for those who follow through on it. There are several different kinds of plans, so just pick one and do it. If you don’t have a plan, simply google, “one year bible reading plan” and find one you like. Or you can just start in Genesis and read 3-4 chapters a day, and that will allow you to read through the bible in the next 12 months.

Over the last 7 or 8 years (except for 1 year), I have used a bible reading plan. Each year I have been blessed through this simple exercise. As a pastor, I have the great privilege of spending plenty of time in the Word, but I always try to do this apart from my pastoral work, usually for morning devotions. While I still use other devotional literature (this year I am working through My Utmost For His Highest), the bulk of my devotional time is spent in Scripture, as I systematically work through it, day by day.

One new thing that I am excited about for this year is that my wife and I are doing this reading plan together. So far it has been wonderful to interact with one another concerning the particular reading. While this won’t happen every night with many of our evenings occupied with church functions, I do look forward to the nights when it does work.

I would encourage you to participate in a one-year bible-reading plan in 2012. One idea is to do this together with your family. Of course this means that you will have to give up some of your nightly TV watching (or whatever you spend your evenings doing), but I guarantee you won’t regret it. Most of the content you find on the tube is not edifying anyway.

There are many advantages to a one-year bible reading plan, but allow me to mention just one. Many Christians are familiar with the gospels and epistles in the New Testament, but aren’t so familiar with the historical books and the prophets of the Old Testament. This endeavor is a great way to be introduced to the whole of Scripture and the breadth of redemptive history. God has spoken through His Word and it is a tremendous blessing to listen and be fed by the truth of the Bible.

As you embark on this journey through the Word, I must not fail to mention the importance and prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit of God. If you approach bible reading in an academic way, then your approach is wrong-headed. The bible is unlike any other book in the world, simply because it is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that we must rely on the Spirit to illumine and enlighten our hearts to the meaning of the text. By all means, do your bible study and cross-referencing, and be blessed by the depth of Scripture, but be dependent upon God to open your heart and mind to all that is there. Also pray that God would give you joy and perseverance in your reading.

May God richly bless you as you walk through the Word in 2012.