Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.. – Romans 6:12

One thing that God has been teaching me, and in my own daily experiences, all times that I can think of when there is strife, pain, difficulty in this life it’s rooted in a few things.  Primarily sin as and in our reaction to sin, the sin of unbelief in the gospel, and at its base it is all rooted in pride.  This is easily seen in the unbelievers life, as I went over Matthew 7 with my children at the dinner table last evening, we discussed the different kinds of fruit.  We talked about the differing natures of the two kinds of trees the fig three and the thorn tree, as they symbolize Faith, and Unbelief.

However once we are believers and Justified, why is it that we continue to sin?  And there are somethings, some pains, some remembrances of sin that hinder our growth.

I have been meditating on hurts and pains of so many and then their reaction to the sin of others.  We have in each decision a choice to make.  Wow God does give us a choice as believers, we will either be a slave to sin or to righteousness, and it says in Romans that if we are believers WE are no longer slaves to sin!!!

If we’re no longer slaves to sin why do we still have sin going on?  I believe that in our justified state, we often times lose sight of the cross.  Some do this  in their laziness and apathy, others forget what Grace means and really is, just like the Israelites failed to remember what God had done, when things get hard or difficult we delve on the circumstances of our own lives and we are failing to look at Christ.  We in fact look at whatever problem, or difficulty in light of our own flesh and we focus on ME.   I heard a preacher on the radio say the other day, I’m not sure who to attribute the quote to, but he said repentance is turning from Self and Faith is turning toward Christ.   We must in our moments of pain, difficulty, and strife, turn away from self-pity, self-crying, and though somethings hurt us to the core of our being, we must turn to our only hope Christ in faith and belief.

I was reading a Spurgeon Sermon that helped me in this regard.

We have seen that God justifieth, that He justifieth the ungodly and that He justifies them through faith in the precious blood of Jesus; we have now to see the condition these ungodly ones are in when Jesus works out their salvation. Many awakened persons are not only troubled about their sin, but about their moral weakness. They have no strength with which to escape from the mire into which they have fallen, nor to keep out of it in after days. They not only lament over what they have done, but over what they cannot do. They feel themselves to be powerless, helpless, and spiritually lifeless. It may sound odd to say that they feel dead, and yet it is even so. They are, in their own esteem, to all good incapable. They cannot travel the road to Heaven, for their bones are broken. “None of the men of strength have found their hands;” in fact, they are “without strength.” Happily, it is written, as the commendation of God’s love to us:
When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).
Here we see conscious helplessness succored—succored by the interposition of the Lord Jesus. Our helplessness is extreme. It is not written, ” When we were comparatively weak Christ died for us”; or, “When we had only a little strength”; but the description is absolute and unrestricted; “When we were yet without strength.” We had no strength whatever which could aid in our salvation; our Lord’s words were emphatically true, “Without me ye can do nothing.” I may go further than the text, and remind you of the great love wherewith the Lord loved us, “even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.” To be dead is even more than to be without strength.
The one thing that the poor strengthless sinner has to fix his mind upon, and firmly retain, as his one ground of hope, is the divine assurance that “in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Believe this, and all inability will disappear. As it is fabled of Midas that he turned everything into gold by his touch, so it is true of faith that it turns everything it touches into good. Our very needs and weaknesses become blessings when faith deals with them.

We have seen that God justifieth, that He justifieth the ungodly and that He justifies them through faith in the precious blood of Jesus; we have now to see the condition these ungodly ones are in when Jesus works out their salvation. Many awakened persons are not only troubled about their sin, but about their moral weakness. They have no strength with which to escape from the mire into which they have fallen, nor to keep out of it in after days. They not only lament over what they have done, but over what they cannot do. They feel themselves to be powerless, helpless, and spiritually lifeless. It may sound odd to say that they feel dead, and yet it is even so. They are, in their own esteem, to all good incapable. They cannot travel the road to Heaven, for their bones are broken. “None of the men of strength have found their hands;” in fact, they are “without strength.” Happily, it is written, as the commendation of God’s love to us:
When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).
Here we see conscious helplessness succored—succored by the interposition of the Lord Jesus. Our helplessness is extreme. It is not written, ” When we were comparatively weak Christ died for us”; or, “When we had only a little strength”; but the description is absolute and unrestricted; “When we were yet without strength.” We had no strength whatever which could aid in our salvation; our Lord’s words were emphatically true, “Without me ye can do nothing.” I may go further than the text, and remind you of the great love wherewith the Lord loved us, “even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.” To be dead is even more than to be without strength.
The one thing that the poor strengthless sinner has to fix his mind upon, and firmly retain, as his one ground of hope, is the divine assurance that “in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Believe this, and all inability will disappear. As it is fabled of Midas that he turned everything into gold by his touch, so it is true of faith that it turns everything it touches into good. Our very needs and weaknesses become blessings when faith deals with them.

And it is to the other side of the pain or difficulty we must look.  We must raise our eyes to look into truth, and preach this truth to ourselves, because our emotions and feelings fail, and are often tainted with sin, when not accompanied with truth.  May God grant us the ability to believe, help our unbelief Lord!

I like CJ, would say I am and expert on Pride. I pray God would grant Humility.

Some of the quotes -

“The Danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the bible, Instead we may be worshiping our selves.”

“The price is certainly high for people who don’t know Christ and who live in a world where Christians shrink back from self-denying faith and settle into self-indulging faith. While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives proclaiming the Kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark.”

Somehow we believe we can still serve God and mammon.

“We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him…. So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide.”

I am only in Chapter three of the book, I have many pages left, but I am already stirred to re-examine my life. I pray God grant me more grace.

I find myself now settled in the city, and after reading part of this book to be re-examining my own dependence upon Christ.  Once we set back in our creature comforts inside our homes, the suburbs and the city don’t look a lot different inside the house, it’s only on the outside things are different. On the inside our dependence upon our schedules, upon our material things, dependence upon our own ideas settle in and our dependence upon God is weakened. We begin again our self-indulgence vs. our self-denial, and we attach to this world as we consume and consume and consume.

Here’s what the sick part as I read the book, we use Jesus to indulge ourselves in Christainity vs. as a motivating factor of denying ourselves. There is a time to study the word, and much time needed, there is a time for retreats, there is a time for conferences, there is a time for music, and preaching, there is time for these things. Yet if these things don’t motivate us to LIVE the self denying life are we denying ourselves picking up our cross and following Jesus? If we are consumers of God’s word only and are not doing what it says what brings us to a different place that some other self-indulgence that we have.   The scary thing is we heap condemnation upon ourselves because we are accountable for what has been made known to us.  We know so much.

However, of we are not taking risk for His Kingdom, His Glory, His purposes, then are we walking out the faith we are consuming Him for ourselves?

Has it gone beyond the mind, has it moved to the heart? If it has in any degree someone’s going to think “You’re Crazy.” What’s wrong with them, they have all of this opportunity for “STUFF” for “SELF-ASSURANCE” for “MONEY”, “SECURITY” yet they deny themselves, what’s wrong with them?   

The world, and even most of the American church will think you’re out of your mind if you live this way.

Two bystanders hurt in gas station crash

Question:

Why would you move somewhere unsafe?  Why would you move to the city?

Answer: Jesus

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

- James 1:12-18

His name was William.  I didn’t get a last name, but he was a Veteran who served in Vietnam.  He said his family has disowned him, his life isn’t of much value, but spent much of his conversation with me attempting to tell me of his value.  I could see him attempting to grasp at his worth or value, his need to be recognized as loved by someone, but without recognizing Jesus.  He then proceeded to admire our Lab and then as we were sitting there, I asked him what he thought this life has after here.  He said he wasn’t sure, he grew up Baptist, but didn’t know that his parents were baptist until later.  ( In other words,  William had grown-up in a third generation baptist home. ) (More on multi-generational faithfulness later)

William was somewhat intoxicated and as the conversation progressed, his level of inebriation progressed, because of the bottle in hand.  We started off with much clarity however.  I asked him if he knew the gospel, and like so many men he knew the mechanics of the gospel word, and had heard the gospel given, preached, spoken.  I asked him if he knew why Jesus died?  And he said yes, because God required a perfect sacrifice for his wrath to be satisfied.

I was really in shock for some time at his coherent answer when it came to not just articulating that Christ died for sin, but that God requires a perfect sacrifice.  He obviously didn’t learn his theology from a Jehovah’s Witness, but from someone who seemed to have somewhat sound Christian theology.

William then proceeded to tell me that he had lived with a minister for 8 months during his life.  And he had learned and understood much  “Christianity stuff…..” but  what he couldn’t seem to understand was the fact that while he lived in the basement of the minister’s home, the minister treated his wife like dirt.  He spoke down to her all the time, he held himself up to be special and self-righteous, he never came down to the level of anyone else.  There was nothing his wife could do right, and the way that he spoke to her was horrible.

Topics changed at some point for a moment, William said he had a decision to make this evening, he was thinking about going to a VA home where he could rest for the remainder of his life, because he said he didn’t have long in this world.  I spoke a little of Matthew 7, about fruit, but spoke to him about trust in Christ.  Not trusting in his drink or the things of this world.  When we were done I prayed with him, and there were some tears, but I wasn’t sure if they were from the alcohol or from God softening his heart.  I pray the latter, yet I do not know.

Williams “Life Philosophy” however, he didn’t get from the bible, but he got from the apathy of life, the depression of being unwanted, when he feels as if there is little to live for, and all that was worth living for now, is gone.  He took his favorite saying which he lives by from a Doris Day movie, “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”  This is William who lets life happen to him now, he’s understood the gospel, he says he believes, and yet, he doesn’t believe.

And though he knew the mechanics of the bible for whatever reason God hasn’t seen fit to show William that he’s in need of a savior, he understands that in a sense “Whatever will be will be” yet at the same time he takes little responsibility for his own life or the things happening to him, ascribing his lack of true faith in Christ to those whom claimed the name of Christ but did not live it out eg. the minister whom he lived with while he lived in Oklahoma.

Last night’s encounter brought conviction to me, and to my life.  It had me examine how others view my life, with those possibly watching.  Not only with my spouse, my children, but with strangers and neighbors, with co-workers and friends.  When I speak the name of Christ, of the Gospel, of discipleship and the like, how does my life demonstrate my belief? or does it repulse, what about being self-righteous, proud, dogmatic, insincere ?

It’s only the Holy Spirit in us which provides us with the “Care” for others souls in eternity, and it’s only “Him” who moves us to action, to speak to them about Jesus, I can claim no part in it.   I pray God grant us belief, strength, and will power to overcome the flesh, the apathy, the pride.  We are so prone to apathy, to not care about anyone but ourselves here in the U.S…., may God grant us intentionality, and purpose as we seek not to live Christianity out of a programmed legalistic life, but to bring the gospel to bare on everyday life because of Christ.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sound like silly psychobabble yet?  Well let me explain it this way, when we care for people who are like us there is something often “in it” for us.   Often we are “self-fulfilled” by those whom are like us, we feel validated or having value, when we are in disagreement it is how we, in turn, handle those differences which lead down the road of humility or pride.

If we love people when people are like us we are comfortable and it’s easy to carve out in our lives little replica’s in our mind of ourself and as long as they are in agreement with me then we walk in love with one another, but when we disagree, my love for them is conditional and I no longer care for this person.  How many of us are guilty here?  We are often fine in relationships whether with our spouse, friends, even our churches when we align in all areas, but when we differ, and someone doesn’t line up with how “I think,” our idol of self has betrayed us and we soon move on to the next idol which will fulfill or validate our thinking, our life, our theology, whatever the case may be.

I am speaking about this because of my own guilt in it, and God revealing this type of idolatry in my own life.  I would guess that I’m not alone in my thinking.   So the question is how are we to deal with differences?  My wife and I are extremely different, and we have had to learn early on in our marriage to care for those differences, and we are not perfect in it.  In friendships and often in church we can avoid difficult relationships, or people whom we are not like.  It’s easier to be around people who are like us.  We often seek to please our flesh and if our flesh finds it painful to be around people we disengage and seek comfort, and that comfort is often to play to our strengths instead of our weakness.

What I found in listening to the message about “We-Humility” and having care and concern about one another’s differences in marriage,  is that we’re forced to deal with those differences.  It’s not like friendships we can avoid but in marriage governed by God we deal with these differences in two ways.  The first way that we often deal with them is to try to do what we would do in Church or some other relationship, if we find a difference we try to stay away from that topic, or area of discussion.  The problem being is that ultimately in marriage it always comes up again.

I remember when I first got married my wife didn’t have an understanding of  “white collar work” vs. “blue collar work.”  For a long time she thought my many hours on the computer perhaps wouldn’t be classified as work.  I looked at her often and would see that she worked non-stop with her hands and in a “blue collar” sort of way and though I was amazed at her work ethic I must say that her activity showed me my own sin.  Neither one of us could see the other one’s perspective and therefore there was a point of contention for several years in our marriage.  Until at some point in time God granted me the ability to see my wife from His perspective.   I began to look at her the way God sees my wife, as a gift and her attributes which are reflected in God as a gift.  My wife’s work ethic accused my laziness before, and then with His perspective it was her work ethic which now inspired me to do more physical labor, even though I still 10 + years later have a long way to go.   Later she too came to care and understand that even though what I did wasn’t physical labor, that the work I did with my mind became appreciated.  I believe she too came to appreciate, and have a thankfulness for how God had given me the ability to provide for our home.

This is an example in marriage about beginning to care for one another’s differences, humbling our selves and newly understanding that we do not have the corner on “reality” but God does, it is his perspective that matters and not the lens through which I view the world in sin, but through His eyes.  This takes time, repentance, and God’s grace.    Now how does this love and care for one another’s differences take place in our churches and other relationships?

I was reading the word this morning and it seemed to be an answer, but not to my surprise it is much the same as in marriage.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 3:14 | 4:1-6

It is out of the love of Christ who is able, in Ephesians 3 that we humble ourselves to walk in a manner worthy of our calling which we all have been called.  I believe also we have to walk this out with one another, this isn’t meant to be done by ourselves.  God does this sanctifying work in His power, in His way, in His time, yet at the same time the differences between my wife and I, wouldn’t have been exposed if we hadn’t come together.   This sin that was sitting below the surface may not have surfaced, I may never have been challenged by her giftedness, if I had kept myself in “self-justify” mode for laziness or “pitty party” for lack of understanding vs. asking God to show me my wife in the way He sees her, then relying upon God to produce in my heart the change.   He is an amazing God, loving us, and then out of that love producing in us the ability to love in the differences of life.

In our places of worship we still must come together to be in “relationship” with one another in order for us to discover, and sharpen, and rub each other in certain ways that God may produce in us transformation through His love.  When we avoid relationships with people who are different than us we are feeding our idol of selfishness.  But Christ called us to die so that we may bear fruit….

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. – John 12:24

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. – Matthew 16:24

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. – Mark 8:34

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. – Luke 9:23

Where we die to those differences, and begin to love others in their differences in a real way, demonstrates the death of the idol of self, and the truth of sanctification as we walk in a manner worthy of our calling!

You can call it trust, you can call it faith, we must have faith in God and trust other believers and all of these things take place in the context of “Relationship.”

Relationship would probably be one of my soap boxes, it’s something that I believe has been lost with our self-serving culture.  What I don’t mean is relationships in searching out felt needs, but something little payed attention to, yet often something that is defining in everyone’s life.  All of the media, and institutionalization of education, organizations ie the local ‘church’ often has people wondering if there is more to gathering with a group of people that simply the gathering itself.   Is there something missing in what’s described in God’s word as the Body & Bride of Christ when there is little true deeply held relationships.

One thing we can know for certain is the fact that men’s hearts are often wicked and although we seem, and attempt to have good motives, God motives, the motives of men’s hearts tend toward idolatry often in so many ways.  It has been here that we find our greatest need in relationship with others.  So many times our own personal pride blinds us from our weak moments, from our most frail or self-exalting times and it is only others who can see these exhalations.  Thank goodness for our wives!!! What a needed partner to cultivate humility in ones life.

These past few months have been great opportunities for motive checking along the way, idolatry checks.  During the past few weeks there has been a kind of coming together and friendship between brothers that I see just starting to form at a level that often is only known through hardship.  There is plenty more to learn and to grow in, and from with these brothers, yet at the same time I see a transparency coming, and a new love forming that I believe is indicative of what it really means to love your brother, and for others to know we are disciples or followers of Jesus by the way we are loving one another.

It is here in relationship that you see men more closely following the commands of Christ and fulfilling scripture in a way that most people who often simply attend Church never know.  There is a deep abiding love which moves beyond the natural and enters the supernatural because it’s a love that is God’s love and not the love of man.  We have only begun I believe to see the infancy stages of this kind of brotherly love but has been refreshing, authentic, and real for me at least.

I think people often long for a sort of ‘real’ experience in Christianity, that brings their faith beyond words and from the pages of God’s word into the lives they are living.  This is only done in the context of community & relationship and it seems to be one of those things that you don’t know you’re missing until you begin to experience it.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

-Matthew 22:37-39

Does anyone see “relationship” in this?  This indicates the  relationship between both God and Men are inter-linked! Loving God and Loving your neighbor! When I was a new Christian several years back I watch a parenting video I believe by Gary Smalley which had this phrase when considering the raising up of children; “Rules without relationship = Rebellion“..

You see this is biblical, our relationship with God was severed in the garden, and it was Christ the GOD/Man who paid for our relationship to God to be reconciled.

In this small saying there’s something though  very subtle makes all the difference in the world.  We see that relationships, and genuine caring for your children, over mere rules laid out for them, has with in it sincerity and love as an assumed context.

This sincerity in relationship comes from Christ who in the ultimate way of sincerity and truth poured out His life for ours.  Christ authentic sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins and therefore we, in our dying to self in relationship with others demonstrate this sort of Christ like love to those who are in need.
This isn’t something that’s merely said however, “I love you,”  with words, but this is something demonstrated in coming along side of someone else in their time of trial, grief, pain, heartache.  This coming along side of people is lost in our time management.  We have knelt down at the alter of our day-timers.  We have but forsaken the needy, the poor, the spiritually thirsty for, our schedules.   The good Samaritan is often our story but we not being the Samaritan nor good.  We pass by those who need, or keep relationships at such a distance as not to find out, therefore not having to deal with them.  If we get to know people intimately we see the vast overwhelming cavern of need in the lives of men and women and we forget we must die to our selves so that Christ may live in us.

This is so essential, not only for children, but for adults, for churches and church discipline.  There is something to bringing down church discipline in the context of relationships vs. bringing down church discipline in the context of being ultimate strangers to one another.  In relationship because of a dotted line on an org chart vs. in relationship because someone is and has truly been caring for my soul.  There is something to a reproof and a rebuke in the context of loving relationships, it’s quite another thing to be reproved by someone whom you know very little about and trust very little.  Trust is something that is gained over time and in real relationship, not something gained over time as a real acquaintance. Though our relationships with one another should never be elevated over our relationship with God our father, nor should we bend the knee to please men in this way, we can never get beyond the fact that these relationships are vital, and important, and just one of the many tools God uses to conform us to the Image of Christ.

Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Leading from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.