Men,
It has been awhile. I ask you to forgive me for the hiatus – got real busy (as you are also no doubt).
Most of you have probably finished Bookends, but let’s blog about the final three sections. I will take chapter 9. Someone surprise us with a blog about chapter 10, and then would someone else surprise us with a blog post on the conclusion concerning the Christian world view. If more than one person posts that would be awesome. So if you want to share on these areas, please bless us with your words.
Self-reliance, the can do American way, just do it, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, if you want something done right – do it yourself, get moving or get out of the way.
There are lots of phrases like the above in our society. At first glance most of them seem like good attitudes to live by. But are they?
Certainly God has called us to excellence. Scripture tells us that whatever our hands find to do we should do with all of our might. The Proverbs as well as the book of James instruct us to work hard. We should do everything for the glory of God.
Doing everything for the glory of God is precisely what is wrong with a worldly mindset of motivation. That’s why “just do it” and the other phrases I mentioned can be so dangerous – they simply don’t recognize that we must labor according to the strength and ability that God gives us and our labors must be for his glory.
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches – without him we can do nothing!
God has called us all to work hard and accomplish significant things in our lives, but that labor must be according to his will with the strength and ability He gives and most of all what we do must be for his glory.
The motivational self-reliant mentality of our age is an enemy to how God would have us live. “Just do it” only if it seems to be according to God’s will in your life and you recognize that “without Him you can do nothing”. Then let your motivation be to bring glory to God as you do it! This is what we are called to – not self-reliance.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Chapter Eight: The Help of the Divine Encourager
Chapter Eight: The Help of the Divine Encourager
“Because He loves me so much, I love Him more than______________.” Ever ask yourself that question?
The military teaches you to “train like you are going to fight” because when the time comes to fight, you will “fight like you trained.” So train well.
We need to put on our armor right now and start claiming this life changing promise: the Holy Spirit is our Divine Encourager and He equips us for battle against sin!
Maybe you are asking yourself: I sure like that idea but what do I need to do to start enjoying a daily relationship God? Train! If God is pursuing you and desires a relationship with you, stop running and let God empower you right now to battle sin.
We sure don’t deserve it but rest assured, the battle is won. The Helper is here to open the eyes of our heart to the Gospel; to help us turn from being self-centered and living for ourselves; and to teach us through Bible study, meditation on the Word and prayer the life changing truths of the Gospel.
If God Himself wants a relationship with you then start training...place your dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit and let Him constantly point you to Christ. Remember “train like you are going to fight so you will fight like you trained.” Replace that object of impure desire, that sinful affection with fleshly desires, with a desire to know God better and let the Holy Spirit begin controlling every area of your life. The Helper will strengthen you and encourage you as your Divine Encourager.
There is not enough room in our hearts for both an appetite for sin and the superior satisfaction of desiring God (Matthew 13:44). Train by letting your love for God be expressed in your relationship with the Father, and deepened through the power of the Holy Spirit our Devine Encourager. This chapter teaches us that you can’t enjoy sin and God at the same time. So the life lesson is that when we enjoy God more than we enjoy sin, we will begin to deepen our relationship with Him and start enjoying the relationship He has intended from the beginning to have with us. “We are meant to enjoy God in the here and now as well as in Heaven.”
The battle is real, moment by moment, and I know we can be certain that He will equip us for every life event and fulfill His every promise. Our job is to train, train, train and be equipped daily to fight well. Be encouraged, the end is sure and the victory is the Lord’s! For those that know the Lord as their personal Savior we stand amazed at God’s grace and all the ways the Holly Spirit works to provide divine encouragement in our lives.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Chapter 7: Dependent Responsibility
Wow! This is where the rubber meets the road! We are 100% responsible before God and yet we are 100% dependent on Him - "apart from Him we can do nothing".
What insight, what wisdom, what balance! The title grabs our attention immediately and speaks volumes - Dependent Responsibility.
One of my favorite scripture verses was used by Jerry Bridges to kick off the subject.
Colossians 1:29 - "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me". We are to give it our all, while fully knowing our complete dependence on his energy that He powerfully and graciously works into our lives. Left to even the most ardent efforts, without his power, all we have is frustration, despondency, and self-righteousness. But with his power, we can live out God's will for our lives!
The thorough sweep of all things pertaining to life and godliness was particularly stabilizing and encouraging to me - dependent responsibility is all about growth in character as well as effectiveness in ministry and both of these are fed by means of grace that are practiced as dependent responsibilities as well.
Gentlemen, we are to be very responsible and let that responsibility drive us at all times to our precious Savior and his provision for us through the Gospel. May His Grace strengthen us in all that he has called us to be and do!
What insight, what wisdom, what balance! The title grabs our attention immediately and speaks volumes - Dependent Responsibility.
One of my favorite scripture verses was used by Jerry Bridges to kick off the subject.
Colossians 1:29 - "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me". We are to give it our all, while fully knowing our complete dependence on his energy that He powerfully and graciously works into our lives. Left to even the most ardent efforts, without his power, all we have is frustration, despondency, and self-righteousness. But with his power, we can live out God's will for our lives!
The thorough sweep of all things pertaining to life and godliness was particularly stabilizing and encouraging to me - dependent responsibility is all about growth in character as well as effectiveness in ministry and both of these are fed by means of grace that are practiced as dependent responsibilities as well.
Gentlemen, we are to be very responsible and let that responsibility drive us at all times to our precious Savior and his provision for us through the Gospel. May His Grace strengthen us in all that he has called us to be and do!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Chapter Six The Second Bookend: The Power of the Holy Spirit
Jim, thanks for the opportunity to kick off this section of the book! This chapter is timely reminder for me; as I am so very prone to doing things in my own strength. I require frequent reminders of my desperate need for the Holy Spirit’s power in every aspect of my daily life.
As a small preface, I’m going to steer away from an outlined review of the chapter, and write more stream-of-consciousness. My assumption is that most (if not all) of you have read this chapter by this point, and God has used it in specific ways in your lives. This is my feeble attempt at providing you a written window into how God’s used it in mine! My hope & prayer is that it serves you.
The first thought that jumped out at me as I read this chapter was how insufficient my motivation is, as revealed in the discussion surrounding 2 Timothy 2:1. Of course, you could quiz me any day of the week on this issue, and I could give you the biblically correct answer…but FUNCTIONALLY, that’s another story. Simply put, video tape my life, and the command to “be strengthened” by something outside myself is anti-me. More often than not, when I’m confronted with a problem my mind goes into analytical overdrive; catalog the issue, bullet point the process to a solution, act on it, and take credit for the successes…or fall into depression over the failures. It’s all about me, either way you slice it. With that fresh, convicting reminder of my need, I love what the authors’ state: “How is Timothy to respond to this command? By faith he’s to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit instead of his own resolutions, self-effort, or willpower.” (pg.83) Yep, you better believe I underlined it just like that!! And it gets even better, enter John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”Amen, and amen! As an additional aid to the readers of this post, I recently read a Desiring God blog post by David Mathis (Found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1856_strong_in_anothers_strength ) which expanded upon this same theme, and has served me greatly.
As the chapter began to illuminate the Holy Spirit’s power & sovereignty, comparing the “The Power of Christ” vs. The Power of Holy Spirit” I easily agreed with the author’s intent & assessment. In addition to the supporting scriptures & quotations (pgs 83-86) that they cite, I couldn’t help but immediately recall Jesus’ words from John: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”[John 14:26] & “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” [John 16:26] Reading those, it’s no stretch or conflict to consider the second Bookend as the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies Christ! That Trinitarian power is one & the same, and united in purpose. It’s certainly understandable & practical to consider and study the Holy Spirit’s work, both because of His revealed purpose, and that He is “with you forever” (Jn.14:16b) in this daily walking out of our sanctification.
On a humorous note, I had to add Synergism & Monergism to my word-of-the-day list. Both sounded like ‘Good to Great’, or ‘Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ types of power words! Simply put, when it comes to God accomplishing His purposes, it’s a treasure to meditate on the fact that the buck stops with Holy Spirit and not me. Even the few times when I’m at my best (i.e., spending time before the face of God, identifying & mortifying besetting sins) its still tiddlywinks compared to the Holy Spirits purpose & agenda for my life! And scripture inundates us with assurance the God’s Spirit is the purposer, giver, and enabler [Ro 8:13, Philip 2:12-13, 4:11-13, Jn. 3:5-6, 8, etc.]. This is great peace, & assurance to me, brothers! I am wholly incapable of earning one ounce of righteousness on my own…and frankly I wouldn’t desire to, because there would be no assurance in my walk. As to our active participation with the Spirit, I appreciated the Heidelberg Catechism reference to “our guilt, God’s grace, and our response of gratitude”. I was drawn back to the middle paragraph on page 62 regarding the sinful woman…which I have to say has been the most treasured section I’ve read thus far in this book!
In conclusion, the use of the benediction out of Hebrews really brought it home for me:
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The triune God at work here has done (and does) everything…how can we not be in awe? How can we not desire to participate in the smallest of ways, with the aid of His Spirit? As David Mathis writes, “When we forsake the sinful alternatives of passivity and mustering up our own strength, and instead pursue power in another’s power, that Other is mightily honored.”
As a small preface, I’m going to steer away from an outlined review of the chapter, and write more stream-of-consciousness. My assumption is that most (if not all) of you have read this chapter by this point, and God has used it in specific ways in your lives. This is my feeble attempt at providing you a written window into how God’s used it in mine! My hope & prayer is that it serves you.
The first thought that jumped out at me as I read this chapter was how insufficient my motivation is, as revealed in the discussion surrounding 2 Timothy 2:1. Of course, you could quiz me any day of the week on this issue, and I could give you the biblically correct answer…but FUNCTIONALLY, that’s another story. Simply put, video tape my life, and the command to “be strengthened” by something outside myself is anti-me. More often than not, when I’m confronted with a problem my mind goes into analytical overdrive; catalog the issue, bullet point the process to a solution, act on it, and take credit for the successes…or fall into depression over the failures. It’s all about me, either way you slice it. With that fresh, convicting reminder of my need, I love what the authors’ state: “How is Timothy to respond to this command? By faith he’s to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit instead of his own resolutions, self-effort, or willpower.” (pg.83) Yep, you better believe I underlined it just like that!! And it gets even better, enter John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”Amen, and amen! As an additional aid to the readers of this post, I recently read a Desiring God blog post by David Mathis (Found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1856_strong_in_anothers_strength ) which expanded upon this same theme, and has served me greatly.
As the chapter began to illuminate the Holy Spirit’s power & sovereignty, comparing the “The Power of Christ” vs. The Power of Holy Spirit” I easily agreed with the author’s intent & assessment. In addition to the supporting scriptures & quotations (pgs 83-86) that they cite, I couldn’t help but immediately recall Jesus’ words from John: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”[John 14:26] & “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” [John 16:26] Reading those, it’s no stretch or conflict to consider the second Bookend as the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies Christ! That Trinitarian power is one & the same, and united in purpose. It’s certainly understandable & practical to consider and study the Holy Spirit’s work, both because of His revealed purpose, and that He is “with you forever” (Jn.14:16b) in this daily walking out of our sanctification.
On a humorous note, I had to add Synergism & Monergism to my word-of-the-day list. Both sounded like ‘Good to Great’, or ‘Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ types of power words! Simply put, when it comes to God accomplishing His purposes, it’s a treasure to meditate on the fact that the buck stops with Holy Spirit and not me. Even the few times when I’m at my best (i.e., spending time before the face of God, identifying & mortifying besetting sins) its still tiddlywinks compared to the Holy Spirits purpose & agenda for my life! And scripture inundates us with assurance the God’s Spirit is the purposer, giver, and enabler [Ro 8:13, Philip 2:12-13, 4:11-13, Jn. 3:5-6, 8, etc.]. This is great peace, & assurance to me, brothers! I am wholly incapable of earning one ounce of righteousness on my own…and frankly I wouldn’t desire to, because there would be no assurance in my walk. As to our active participation with the Spirit, I appreciated the Heidelberg Catechism reference to “our guilt, God’s grace, and our response of gratitude”. I was drawn back to the middle paragraph on page 62 regarding the sinful woman…which I have to say has been the most treasured section I’ve read thus far in this book!
In conclusion, the use of the benediction out of Hebrews really brought it home for me:
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The triune God at work here has done (and does) everything…how can we not be in awe? How can we not desire to participate in the smallest of ways, with the aid of His Spirit? As David Mathis writes, “When we forsake the sinful alternatives of passivity and mustering up our own strength, and instead pursue power in another’s power, that Other is mightily honored.”
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Chapter 5: Leaning on the First Bookend.
What is keeping you from allowing your books to lean on the righteousness of Christ?
What is the object your dependence?
Is it that one constant and ever present nagging sin that you are afraid to or don’t want to deal with?
Do you remember your day of salvation?
Throughout all of the previous 4 chapters we were challenged and constantly reminded to lean on the first and foremost gift of the gospel “the righteousness of Christ”. Has it sunk in deep enough to never forget that we cannot stand on our own? I doubt it, it least from my perspective it hasn’t. Like you, I know myself well enough to admit that before the hour, day, week ( I couldn’t possibly go that long) or month goes by I will be telling myself how good I am and still trying to earn God’s favor. The question is, we will ever get it? And the answer still is no, which is exactly why we need Him and why he how to go to the cross for you and I.
The focal points were such stark reminders as to why we should always be leaning on that first bookend. I loved the illustration of Zacchaeus and how quickly he realized his own inability to save himself. Have you had the realization yet? If not let me remind you that there is nothing left to do. When Christ said “it is finished”, that is exactly what He meant. You can’t “pull yourself up by the boot straps”, “be anything you can be”. No sir! C. J. Mahaney once said, “you can practice basketball all day, every day but if God has not given you the ability, you will never be a Michael Jordan”.
This brings me to the next point: The object of our dependence. If you are anything like me and other men that I have known in a personal relationship, you have something you depend on more the righteousness of Christ. As a man it is hard not to think of ourselves as the strong moral provider who can “handle it”. When you observe me doing this, I would ask you to take me by the hand and point me to the cross.
Now about that ever nagging sin, yes we do all have them. Page 71 gives us a method to help us realize and confess them, but one key to this point is having a brother to confess them to and help us to be reminded of God’s grace. For me here is where I can allow those “functional saviors” to take over. For me it was a job, huh, maybe that’s why I don’t have one now! God has me in a strange position right now, and I know He is calling me to that total dependence to help rid me of anything which I would/could use to replace Him. Alright there I said what most of you were already thinking. You probably have a job, family, friends and all your stuff but you still need Him.
The day of your salvation, what was that like? Do you still remember the rush you had in your heart, the excitement as well as that sinking feeling? Just a reminder, keep that fresh in your heart to remind you of how blessed you were when He tapped you on the shoulder and said “you now belong to me”. That alone makes this life we are living together all worthwhile.
In closing, the title of this chapter reminded me of an old song:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Don’t you feel better just knowing He is there for you to lean on? I don’t know about you but I plan to take full advantage of that first bookend.
What is the object your dependence?
Is it that one constant and ever present nagging sin that you are afraid to or don’t want to deal with?
Do you remember your day of salvation?
Throughout all of the previous 4 chapters we were challenged and constantly reminded to lean on the first and foremost gift of the gospel “the righteousness of Christ”. Has it sunk in deep enough to never forget that we cannot stand on our own? I doubt it, it least from my perspective it hasn’t. Like you, I know myself well enough to admit that before the hour, day, week ( I couldn’t possibly go that long) or month goes by I will be telling myself how good I am and still trying to earn God’s favor. The question is, we will ever get it? And the answer still is no, which is exactly why we need Him and why he how to go to the cross for you and I.
The focal points were such stark reminders as to why we should always be leaning on that first bookend. I loved the illustration of Zacchaeus and how quickly he realized his own inability to save himself. Have you had the realization yet? If not let me remind you that there is nothing left to do. When Christ said “it is finished”, that is exactly what He meant. You can’t “pull yourself up by the boot straps”, “be anything you can be”. No sir! C. J. Mahaney once said, “you can practice basketball all day, every day but if God has not given you the ability, you will never be a Michael Jordan”.
This brings me to the next point: The object of our dependence. If you are anything like me and other men that I have known in a personal relationship, you have something you depend on more the righteousness of Christ. As a man it is hard not to think of ourselves as the strong moral provider who can “handle it”. When you observe me doing this, I would ask you to take me by the hand and point me to the cross.
Now about that ever nagging sin, yes we do all have them. Page 71 gives us a method to help us realize and confess them, but one key to this point is having a brother to confess them to and help us to be reminded of God’s grace. For me here is where I can allow those “functional saviors” to take over. For me it was a job, huh, maybe that’s why I don’t have one now! God has me in a strange position right now, and I know He is calling me to that total dependence to help rid me of anything which I would/could use to replace Him. Alright there I said what most of you were already thinking. You probably have a job, family, friends and all your stuff but you still need Him.
The day of your salvation, what was that like? Do you still remember the rush you had in your heart, the excitement as well as that sinking feeling? Just a reminder, keep that fresh in your heart to remind you of how blessed you were when He tapped you on the shoulder and said “you now belong to me”. That alone makes this life we are living together all worthwhile.
In closing, the title of this chapter reminded me of an old song:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Don’t you feel better just knowing He is there for you to lean on? I don’t know about you but I plan to take full advantage of that first bookend.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Chapter 3, Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness
Self-righteousness? Hey, most of us have problems with persistent guilt when we are not seeing things in gospel perspective, right! Persistent guilt is the territory of chapter #4, but this chapter #3 stuff on self-righteousness may not be nearly as applicable. We would never act like pharisees, right?
Those of us who sometimes have struggles with persistent guilt (my hand is raised high!) do so for the same root cause that produces self-righteousness. If you know the Savior and you struggle with persistent guilt, continually plagued with - I should have never done that! - I should have never made that selfish decision - I should have obeyed God in that situation - I should have done what I was supposed to do - etc., then you are depending on your own righteousness.
As you live your life doing really well for a season - lots of Bible reading - early morning prayer - increased giving at church - you and your wife experiencing a second honeymoon (not even a temptation to argue!) - God using you to really help several people - etc., you may begin to drift toward depending on your own righteousness. In a season like this, you may become self-righteous.
Leaning on Christ's righteousness and your own (and your own - major problem!) is the main cause of persistent guilt and the main cause of self-righteousness both. It is amazing that we can be battling persistent guilt one week and the very next week be puffed up in self-righteousness (usually without knowing it!).
The good place where God is constantly leading us back to is trusting in His righteousness alone. Not Christ's righteousness and .... but His righteousness only!
Putting some of our trust in our own righteousness is like a two edged knife - one edge is persistent guilt and the other edge is self-righteousness. So I guess if I ever struggle with persistent guilt (again hand raised high!), then I probably also have struggles with self-righteousness. I guess I am the self-righteous pharisee type at times - and amazingly I am certain that I have been cut by both edges of that knife on the same day!
To perhaps clarify a question that may be in your mind, should we be aware of our sin at all? - most definitely! As John Owen said, I am a great sinner and I have a great Savior! The booklet, Honey from the Rock, makes a great point about our need to be aware of our sin, but having that awareness lead us straight to the Savior - "The greatness of Christ's merit is known best by sinners in deep distress. The thirstier a man is, the more he'll prize a cup of water; the more our sins break and burden us, the more we will treasure our Healer and Deliverer."
A deep awareness of our sinfulness will guard us from self-righteousness. Looking to the Savior and His righteousness will keep us from persistent guilt. To be free from both edges of the knife, we must be about Christ's righteousness and not place our trust in our own.
In Chapter 3, Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness, Jerry Bridges poses 10 questions for us to use as a gauge to see if we are given to self-righteousness in our life. Examine your life closely by these questions and remember that the way out is the righteousness of Christ and nothing else!
1- Do you tend to live by a list of dos and don'ts?
2- Is it difficult for you to respect those whose standards are not as high as yours?
3- Do you assume that practicing spiritual disciplines should result in God's blessing?
4- Do you feel you are better than most other people?
5- Has it been a long time since you identified a sin and repented of it?
6- Do you resent it when others point out your "spiritual blind spots"?
7- Do you readily recognize the sins of others but not your own?
8- Do you have the sense that God owes you a good life?
9- Do you get angry when difficulties and suffering come into your life?
10- Do you seldom think of the cross?
Wow! - great questions - Jerry Bridges says that if you answer yes to 5 or more then you have a bad case of self-righteousness - that would be the diagnosis - for the cure: Christ's righteousness alone!
Those of us who sometimes have struggles with persistent guilt (my hand is raised high!) do so for the same root cause that produces self-righteousness. If you know the Savior and you struggle with persistent guilt, continually plagued with - I should have never done that! - I should have never made that selfish decision - I should have obeyed God in that situation - I should have done what I was supposed to do - etc., then you are depending on your own righteousness.
As you live your life doing really well for a season - lots of Bible reading - early morning prayer - increased giving at church - you and your wife experiencing a second honeymoon (not even a temptation to argue!) - God using you to really help several people - etc., you may begin to drift toward depending on your own righteousness. In a season like this, you may become self-righteous.
Leaning on Christ's righteousness and your own (and your own - major problem!) is the main cause of persistent guilt and the main cause of self-righteousness both. It is amazing that we can be battling persistent guilt one week and the very next week be puffed up in self-righteousness (usually without knowing it!).
The good place where God is constantly leading us back to is trusting in His righteousness alone. Not Christ's righteousness and .... but His righteousness only!
Putting some of our trust in our own righteousness is like a two edged knife - one edge is persistent guilt and the other edge is self-righteousness. So I guess if I ever struggle with persistent guilt (again hand raised high!), then I probably also have struggles with self-righteousness. I guess I am the self-righteous pharisee type at times - and amazingly I am certain that I have been cut by both edges of that knife on the same day!
To perhaps clarify a question that may be in your mind, should we be aware of our sin at all? - most definitely! As John Owen said, I am a great sinner and I have a great Savior! The booklet, Honey from the Rock, makes a great point about our need to be aware of our sin, but having that awareness lead us straight to the Savior - "The greatness of Christ's merit is known best by sinners in deep distress. The thirstier a man is, the more he'll prize a cup of water; the more our sins break and burden us, the more we will treasure our Healer and Deliverer."
A deep awareness of our sinfulness will guard us from self-righteousness. Looking to the Savior and His righteousness will keep us from persistent guilt. To be free from both edges of the knife, we must be about Christ's righteousness and not place our trust in our own.
In Chapter 3, Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness, Jerry Bridges poses 10 questions for us to use as a gauge to see if we are given to self-righteousness in our life. Examine your life closely by these questions and remember that the way out is the righteousness of Christ and nothing else!
1- Do you tend to live by a list of dos and don'ts?
2- Is it difficult for you to respect those whose standards are not as high as yours?
3- Do you assume that practicing spiritual disciplines should result in God's blessing?
4- Do you feel you are better than most other people?
5- Has it been a long time since you identified a sin and repented of it?
6- Do you resent it when others point out your "spiritual blind spots"?
7- Do you readily recognize the sins of others but not your own?
8- Do you have the sense that God owes you a good life?
9- Do you get angry when difficulties and suffering come into your life?
10- Do you seldom think of the cross?
Wow! - great questions - Jerry Bridges says that if you answer yes to 5 or more then you have a bad case of self-righteousness - that would be the diagnosis - for the cure: Christ's righteousness alone!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Part I Conclusion - Meeting to Discuss
Guys,
We should all be done with chapter 5 or reading chapter 5 during this week - what a great study this has been on the first bookend, the free gift of righteousness that we have in Christ. Reading and meditating on forgiveness of sin and justification has indeed been encouraging.
I thought we should get together in person, if you are available, at the end of studying each of the two bookends. We are moving toward the end of the 5 chapters on the first bookend.
This Saturday, August 14, let's get together at Panera (8:00 am). Come prepared to share what has most affected you in the first 5 chapters.
Grace Reigns,
Jim
We should all be done with chapter 5 or reading chapter 5 during this week - what a great study this has been on the first bookend, the free gift of righteousness that we have in Christ. Reading and meditating on forgiveness of sin and justification has indeed been encouraging.
I thought we should get together in person, if you are available, at the end of studying each of the two bookends. We are moving toward the end of the 5 chapters on the first bookend.
This Saturday, August 14, let's get together at Panera (8:00 am). Come prepared to share what has most affected you in the first 5 chapters.
Grace Reigns,
Jim
Monday, August 2, 2010
Chapter 4: Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent Guilt
Chapter 4: Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent Guilt
2007 was a year of great awakening and change for our family. Over the Fourth of July weekend, my family attended Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Revive 2007 conference hosted by Gene Emerson, and God met us there in a grand way! Connie and I heard from Him to “move from success to significance; equip the next generation; prepare; that new beginnings were in store for us; and to let God govern.” Wow, what a life changer that weekend was.
2007 also produced one of my all time favorite movies “Amazing Grace” based on the life of William Wilberforce and his fight in the late 1700s and early 1800s to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. The film celebrates the 200th anniversary of this accomplishment and reveals how “wealth's power to entice and allure with greed can harden the hearts of men allowing them to commit great evil.” The movie also reveals that with “perseverance, commitment and faith, and accompanied by God's amazing grace, people of passionate convictions can indeed change the world.” On top of that the movie shows John Newton, the prolific hymn writer and author of “Amazing Grace”, mentoring Wilberforce even as he (Newton), a true man of God characterizes his life as a “self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found”, laying down at Christ’s feet his persistent guilt, being saved by God’s amazing grace, and recognizing the truth that "I'm a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."
Reading Chapter 4 of our book was again one of those moments that seems like God was speaking directly to me. We deserve none of what God offers…we continue to sin, and amazingly God continues to love us. “We’ve been forgiven much, freed from much, and blessed much”…so we can love Jesus Christ much! The 10 questions on pages 56 and 57 are worth your time and reflection. As those all too familiar guilt pangs continue to stab at you, let me encourage you to think of them as doing you a great service by reminding us there is a great Deliverer who seeks a relationship with us. Just like this chapter reveals, our sin is real – we are guilty like our conscience tells us - and praise the Lord with shouts of joy that we have a Savior who has already delivered believers from the consequences of our sin!
Ephesians 2:4-9: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)
2007 was a year of great awakening and change for our family. Over the Fourth of July weekend, my family attended Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Revive 2007 conference hosted by Gene Emerson, and God met us there in a grand way! Connie and I heard from Him to “move from success to significance; equip the next generation; prepare; that new beginnings were in store for us; and to let God govern.” Wow, what a life changer that weekend was.
2007 also produced one of my all time favorite movies “Amazing Grace” based on the life of William Wilberforce and his fight in the late 1700s and early 1800s to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. The film celebrates the 200th anniversary of this accomplishment and reveals how “wealth's power to entice and allure with greed can harden the hearts of men allowing them to commit great evil.” The movie also reveals that with “perseverance, commitment and faith, and accompanied by God's amazing grace, people of passionate convictions can indeed change the world.” On top of that the movie shows John Newton, the prolific hymn writer and author of “Amazing Grace”, mentoring Wilberforce even as he (Newton), a true man of God characterizes his life as a “self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found”, laying down at Christ’s feet his persistent guilt, being saved by God’s amazing grace, and recognizing the truth that "I'm a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."
Reading Chapter 4 of our book was again one of those moments that seems like God was speaking directly to me. We deserve none of what God offers…we continue to sin, and amazingly God continues to love us. “We’ve been forgiven much, freed from much, and blessed much”…so we can love Jesus Christ much! The 10 questions on pages 56 and 57 are worth your time and reflection. As those all too familiar guilt pangs continue to stab at you, let me encourage you to think of them as doing you a great service by reminding us there is a great Deliverer who seeks a relationship with us. Just like this chapter reveals, our sin is real – we are guilty like our conscience tells us - and praise the Lord with shouts of joy that we have a Savior who has already delivered believers from the consequences of our sin!
Ephesians 2:4-9: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Chapter 2: The Motivation of the Gospel
In chapter 1 we saw how we need to daily look at Christ's righteousness and stand in the present reality of our justification. When we do this successfully we experience the motivating power of the gospel which is what chapter 2 is about. This chapter looks at some examples of what this looks like. 3 steps can be seen in each example: deep conviction of sin and assurance of forgiveness lead to gratitude and love. The verse referenced is 2 Cor. 5:14 which states "for the love of Christ controls us." Other translations replace 'controls' with 'compels' or 'constrains'. I think many of our Christian 'acts' can be done out of a motivation to perform for God or to please Him, or out of a sense of duty. But I think that is very different than doing something because you are compelled or controlled by the love of Christ.
When it comes to the interaction between Simon, Jesus and the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume, I find myself almost sympathizing with Simon. I'm not sympathetic in the sense that I think the woman is too sinful for forgiveness. I'm sympathetic in the following sense: Jesus was making an observation that the magnitude of someones love toward Him is in proportion to their perception of how much they've been forgiven. I think my love for Jesus much of the time is more in line with the way Simon expressed it....which means at those times I am failing to see either the depth of my sin or the assurance of His forgiveness, or both. If Simon had eyes to see he would have realized that he actually represents the greater of the 2 debtors in Jesus' parable. His pride, self-righteousness and lack of love for people were much more dangerous sins than those of the woman (which Jesus said were many). The reason they are more dangerous is that they are generally not seen as sinful by the one possessing them. Had Simon seen his own sins for what they were perhaps his expression of love toward Jesus would have surpassed that of the woman.
I have also wondered at the woman in the story. It's interesting that she remains nameless while Simon is referred to by name. I also wonder why she used up the expensive perfume on Jesus in this fashion? The book says it could have been equal to a years wages. Couldn't she have just sold it and brought Him the proceeds for His continuing ministry as an expression of her love? I'm speculating here but could it be that the jar of expensive perfume was the love of her life that led her down the pathway to her 'many sins'? Perhaps she saw the expensive perfume in the marketplace as a young woman and envied it to the point that she was eventually willing to do whatever it took to afford that luxury? After becoming a woman with a bad reputation she would not have been able to gain a good reputation back and would then have the expensive perfume as her only real comfort left in life. She feels the weight of her sin every day as she endures the isolation from people afraid to even be seen near her. Every day she is reminded of it by the disapproving stares of the moral citizens around her. Having no hope to made clean again she is trapped and can't go back; so she continues in her lifestyle and clings to the only comfort that she has: the expensive perfume that she has treasured from the beginning. Then along comes Jesus who is not repulsed by her and He looks at her with a look of love that she has never experienced and offers her forgiveness that she couldn't even dream existed before. I think she pours out this perfume on Jesus not just as an expression of her love and gratitude, but to show Him that the old idolatrous love of her life has been replaced by Him. I don't think at this point she has any hope of being accepted by society, so she is showing Jesus that her only comfort in this life is rubbish compared to Him. I'm also thinking that this represented her savings that she could have lived on. How will she make a living now that she is giving up her old lifestyle and likely will not be accepted for a respectable job to make a living. Hers seems to be a love with total abandon. I am cut to the quick when I read about this woman. How weak is my love in comparison.
Holy Spirit, I understand Christ's righteousness assures the forgiveness of my sin but please give me just a glimpse of the depth of my sin against Holy God so that I might love Jesus in proportion to that forgiveness.
When it comes to the interaction between Simon, Jesus and the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume, I find myself almost sympathizing with Simon. I'm not sympathetic in the sense that I think the woman is too sinful for forgiveness. I'm sympathetic in the following sense: Jesus was making an observation that the magnitude of someones love toward Him is in proportion to their perception of how much they've been forgiven. I think my love for Jesus much of the time is more in line with the way Simon expressed it....which means at those times I am failing to see either the depth of my sin or the assurance of His forgiveness, or both. If Simon had eyes to see he would have realized that he actually represents the greater of the 2 debtors in Jesus' parable. His pride, self-righteousness and lack of love for people were much more dangerous sins than those of the woman (which Jesus said were many). The reason they are more dangerous is that they are generally not seen as sinful by the one possessing them. Had Simon seen his own sins for what they were perhaps his expression of love toward Jesus would have surpassed that of the woman.
I have also wondered at the woman in the story. It's interesting that she remains nameless while Simon is referred to by name. I also wonder why she used up the expensive perfume on Jesus in this fashion? The book says it could have been equal to a years wages. Couldn't she have just sold it and brought Him the proceeds for His continuing ministry as an expression of her love? I'm speculating here but could it be that the jar of expensive perfume was the love of her life that led her down the pathway to her 'many sins'? Perhaps she saw the expensive perfume in the marketplace as a young woman and envied it to the point that she was eventually willing to do whatever it took to afford that luxury? After becoming a woman with a bad reputation she would not have been able to gain a good reputation back and would then have the expensive perfume as her only real comfort left in life. She feels the weight of her sin every day as she endures the isolation from people afraid to even be seen near her. Every day she is reminded of it by the disapproving stares of the moral citizens around her. Having no hope to made clean again she is trapped and can't go back; so she continues in her lifestyle and clings to the only comfort that she has: the expensive perfume that she has treasured from the beginning. Then along comes Jesus who is not repulsed by her and He looks at her with a look of love that she has never experienced and offers her forgiveness that she couldn't even dream existed before. I think she pours out this perfume on Jesus not just as an expression of her love and gratitude, but to show Him that the old idolatrous love of her life has been replaced by Him. I don't think at this point she has any hope of being accepted by society, so she is showing Jesus that her only comfort in this life is rubbish compared to Him. I'm also thinking that this represented her savings that she could have lived on. How will she make a living now that she is giving up her old lifestyle and likely will not be accepted for a respectable job to make a living. Hers seems to be a love with total abandon. I am cut to the quick when I read about this woman. How weak is my love in comparison.
Holy Spirit, I understand Christ's righteousness assures the forgiveness of my sin but please give me just a glimpse of the depth of my sin against Holy God so that I might love Jesus in proportion to that forgiveness.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Chapter One….The First Bookend: The Righteousness of Christ
Every moment of Jesus’ life he perfectly obeyed the law of God and never gave in. The same law that is applicable to all of us as we struggle along and succumb daily to temptations like pride, selfishness, and impatience.
I don’t know about you but my personal list is a lot longer than just pride, selfishness, and impatience. And to think that Jesus, unlike me, never gave in to any temptation…what an awesome God we serve! The ultimate act of obedience by Jesus to endure the wrath of God I deserve, so that I could have a relationship with the heavenly Father, is something that humbles me to tears. To realize that Jesus gave up his relationship with the Father so that I could have one instead is the ultimate act of love for each of us. And why me, I sure don’t deserve this type of unconditional love and monumental blessing?
The first bookend of the Christian life: To all who trust in Him, God counts as righteous because He has appointed Christ to be our representative and substitute. Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to the ledger of my sinful life so that when God looks on me He doesn’t see my sin but only sees what Christ has done for me (justification).
Now we can start to see how the story of our lives is already being written. We are really in the middle of our own story now, and how easily the temptations come to slip into worry, guilt and condemnation. Pride and the fear of man have always been big ones for me, and feeling like I had to perform a certain way to gain acceptance. Problem was that my acceptance was through the fickle eyes of man and endless changing expectations. So what a lie it was for me, and for you, to feel the pressure of performance in light of God’s perfect plan for my life and the undeserved righteousness of Christ perfectly cleaning my ledger.
A word picture that I treasure is that of a beautiful tapestry. The colors and designs are perfectly woven and on display for others to enjoy, but just flip it over and look at the back side. What a mess of tangles! So how can this mess and seeming disaster of tangles I produce become anything like the beautiful design on the front of the tapestry? I submit that it is all because I am not the author of my own story or the master artist, I am just an actor in my life’s story and the writer is God Himself. So until I get to the end of my story, it will often look to me like the messy back side of a tapestry being woven into something beautiful. And in the end, the tapestry and my story will be one full of God’s righteousness in ways that bring a confident reliance on Christ, peace and comfort to others and a gratitude to Jesus Christ for the present reality of justification.
Why should I seek to grow in Christ like character? Chapter two awaits…..
Here is a link to some study helps as we read this book: http://www.thebookendsbook.com/studyguides/introduction-study-guide/
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Bookends - Introduction.
Did you read the 7 questions on page 16? Did one or more of those questions become yours? Or did they all, as they did for me, become yours? After reading the introduction, my first reaction was to sit this book upon the shelf where so many other "good books" are currently sitting and go on with my life. However, after reading it a second time and yes I did read it twice, I have reconsidered reading the whole book. Well, after all why would I want to read another book to address my "one or more persinstent sin patterns, often called besetting sins" (pp14).
But God, in His own gracious way has moved upon my heart to show me that I desperately need to know more about these two bookends called the righteous of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. So come along with me on this read and let's work together at getting our books in order. Shed off the guilt of our besetting sins and deal with them together. All the while enjoying some biblical fellowship, encouraging one another, and applying God's principals to our hearts. I can hardly wait to hear the testimonies!!
But God, in His own gracious way has moved upon my heart to show me that I desperately need to know more about these two bookends called the righteous of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. So come along with me on this read and let's work together at getting our books in order. Shed off the guilt of our besetting sins and deal with them together. All the while enjoying some biblical fellowship, encouraging one another, and applying God's principals to our hearts. I can hardly wait to hear the testimonies!!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Bookends of the Christian Life
Guys,
Frank started a gathering of men just before his death for men to encourage and help one another in life issues, especially in our roles as husbands and fathers.
The meetings continued after Frank's death until the present time. Recently Joe led us in the reading of the book, A Praying Life, and seeking to apply the truths in this book around prayer to our lives. This was I believe a very rewarding experience for all involved. Studying this book was Jerry, Lee, Joe, Fred, Rick, and myself.
Several from this group (maybe all!) will be reading great Christian books together and seeking to apply truth and grow in grace. After speaking with Pastor Ken, Shawn, Jerry, and Lee, I would like to invite the men from Shawn's care group (the care group I attend of course!) and some other men to participate.
Our first book, The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges, is a significant work about the two primary truths we must take hold of to see the growth in Christ that God intends in our lives. I personally look forward to growing in Christ as we read and seek to apply truth to our lives.
If you desire to participate, here is the plan - get a book from Jerry Derrick ($10 - cost) - read as a minimum one chapter per week beginning this week July 5 - July 11 - on the last Saturday of each month we will meet at Panera from 7:30am to 9:00am to share together on the four chapters read that month and seek to apply the truths learned to our lives and to aid one another to do likewise.
The blog will be the tether that hold us all together in this and a place where we can share what we are learning.
I will ask one guy each week to write a blog post on the chapter for that week. We can all comment at any time on any post as well as create a new post at any time. If you want access to create new posts, just let me know and I will give you admin rights to do so.
If you want to participate in this - just leave a comment on the blog and see Jerry to get a book.
I am looking forward to us getting into this great book together.
Frank started a gathering of men just before his death for men to encourage and help one another in life issues, especially in our roles as husbands and fathers.
The meetings continued after Frank's death until the present time. Recently Joe led us in the reading of the book, A Praying Life, and seeking to apply the truths in this book around prayer to our lives. This was I believe a very rewarding experience for all involved. Studying this book was Jerry, Lee, Joe, Fred, Rick, and myself.
Several from this group (maybe all!) will be reading great Christian books together and seeking to apply truth and grow in grace. After speaking with Pastor Ken, Shawn, Jerry, and Lee, I would like to invite the men from Shawn's care group (the care group I attend of course!) and some other men to participate.
Our first book, The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges, is a significant work about the two primary truths we must take hold of to see the growth in Christ that God intends in our lives. I personally look forward to growing in Christ as we read and seek to apply truth to our lives.
If you desire to participate, here is the plan - get a book from Jerry Derrick ($10 - cost) - read as a minimum one chapter per week beginning this week July 5 - July 11 - on the last Saturday of each month we will meet at Panera from 7:30am to 9:00am to share together on the four chapters read that month and seek to apply the truths learned to our lives and to aid one another to do likewise.
The blog will be the tether that hold us all together in this and a place where we can share what we are learning.
I will ask one guy each week to write a blog post on the chapter for that week. We can all comment at any time on any post as well as create a new post at any time. If you want access to create new posts, just let me know and I will give you admin rights to do so.
If you want to participate in this - just leave a comment on the blog and see Jerry to get a book.
I am looking forward to us getting into this great book together.
Friday, June 4, 2010
New Blog For Book Club Fellowship
Well guys, this is it - a blog to facilitate reading of great books around our precious Savior and the eternal truths of God's Word!
Let us read and study these books diligently and, by the Grace of God, apply truth to our lives. The fruit of our endeavors will be growth in grace for God's Glory, the good of our families, the good of our local church, the good of our church's mission to bring the gospel to the lost, and of course, the good of our own souls.
The URL of this blog is books4grace.blogspot.com with "Books For Grace" being the focus. The official title of the blog is "Books To Grow In Grace". From the start I don't want anyone to misunderstand "Books To Grow In Grace" or to labor in the flesh. Reading or any other spiritual discipline is not the source of grace. The Savior is our source of grace. The Cross of Christ is our source of grace.
As God directs us to seek His face and to take the truth of His Word into more and more of our being, we see a multiplication of the Grace of God in our lives ("May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" - 2 Peter:1:2). He is the only source of grace. He has graciously provided for us means of grace that we might experience more of His Grace in our lives. Let us avail ourselves of all the means of grace which God has provided for us.
To read, study, and seek to apply spiritual truth in our lives is a means of grace that we hope to grow in together as we participate in "Books To Grow In Grace".
Let us read and study these books diligently and, by the Grace of God, apply truth to our lives. The fruit of our endeavors will be growth in grace for God's Glory, the good of our families, the good of our local church, the good of our church's mission to bring the gospel to the lost, and of course, the good of our own souls.
The URL of this blog is books4grace.blogspot.com with "Books For Grace" being the focus. The official title of the blog is "Books To Grow In Grace". From the start I don't want anyone to misunderstand "Books To Grow In Grace" or to labor in the flesh. Reading or any other spiritual discipline is not the source of grace. The Savior is our source of grace. The Cross of Christ is our source of grace.
As God directs us to seek His face and to take the truth of His Word into more and more of our being, we see a multiplication of the Grace of God in our lives ("May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" - 2 Peter:1:2). He is the only source of grace. He has graciously provided for us means of grace that we might experience more of His Grace in our lives. Let us avail ourselves of all the means of grace which God has provided for us.
To read, study, and seek to apply spiritual truth in our lives is a means of grace that we hope to grow in together as we participate in "Books To Grow In Grace".
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