The power to change us

Where once we had:

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.” (Psalm 36:1-4)

“For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:3-4)

“For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 Jn 2:15)

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14)

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (Jas 3:14-16)

In our helplessness, we cried out,

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24)

But in God’s mercy,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” (Tit 2:11-12)

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer qqlive for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Cor 5:14-15)

“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom 14:7-8)

"This is God’s Word. It is smarter than you are. [Amen!] God is smarter than you are. And if you think that is a call to anti-intellectualism…the smartest people that have ever lived have devoted themselves to trying to make sense of the the book that is God’s book. It’s foolish to do anything else with your brain. God has given you a brain and He means for you to use it maximally to make sense of this best as you can. It will keep you busy the rest of your mental life."

Does anyone care about faithfulness?

We live in a world of indexes, of measurement and calculation. We live in a world where success is king, and value is determined by what you achieve, what you attain, what results you obtain. As a teacher, I insist my students perform - that they produce, that they prove and validate themselves somehow- mostly through standardized assessment. But it would seem that God delights not in having us do something, but rather, in having us be something.

This world is not a world that appreciates steadfast faithfulness. It regards that which is unchanging and constant as inflexible, or old-fashioned, out of date, or not in keeping with the times. It insists that we adapt to circumstances, that we re-prioritize and re-valuate at each turn according to recent trends and developments. It does not value faithfulness. Men and women are told to live lives of responsiveness, or reactionary existence rather than committed, steadfast, regular lives. Gone are the days where men lived by a creed and kept to it, come what may. 

Does anyone care about faithfulness? Perhaps people do, but only insofar as faithfulness produces results. The true test of faithfulness is when it fails pragmatically, when it calls us above and beyond the world of temporal calculations. You see, faithfulness is valued supremely by a God of faithfulness because He has no need for us to do anything other than respond to Him. God wants us not to change or waver, not just in imitation of Him, but also in response to Him. If He doesn’t see the need in diverting His course come what world-circumstance changes, why should we? Our resilience and tenacity in enduring and persevering in His ways reflects our response to the consistency of God even when the circumstances are challenging. We believe that through the storms and hurricanes of life, God is constant and unmoving, like the silent mountain peak that is our anchor and rock. And if our center is unmoving, then we should hide behind it and not move instead of looking for other shelter. 

Does anyone care about faithfulness? God cares about faithfulness because He is looking for people who are looking for a city beyond this world in its fleeting state. When the hymn writer says, “there is no shadow of turning with Thee”, he reminds that God shows no signs, betrays no hint of fickleness at all. He is resolute, steadfast, unchanging, immovable and absolutely solid in faithfulness. This is the faithful God who says, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Num 23:19), the same God who says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him - graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32) and then again, “To all who receive Him, to all who believe in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God” (John 1:12). The promises of God are revealed in such promises as “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you as well” (Matt 6:33) or again, “Come follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men’. (Matt 4:19). God keeps His promises. He does not lie. He assures us that He is trustworthy. In eternity past, God planned all things, and they are unfolding as He purposed. 

Does anyone care about faithfulness? Jesus did. So much so that He kept His calling and charge from the Father, all the way to the Cross. So whether we are imitating Him or responding to Him, let faithfulness be the mark of our commitments, our promises, and our words. 

faithfulness

“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4 ESV)

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3-4 ESV)

 “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4 ESV)

“I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jeremiah 32:41 ESV)

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV)

 “Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;” (Hosea 4:1 ESV)

“What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3-4 ESV)

“Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:5-6 ESV)

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” (2 Timothy 2:11-14 ESV)

Prayer for light out of darkness

Though dark be all the eye can see,
Help me feel light is all my plea.
Though no one see and no one tell,
Help me faithful to the gospel.
Though no one hears and no one knows
Help me be true to what I’ve been told.
Though no one thanks and no one cheers,
Help me feel Your presence dear.
Though no one joins and none follow,
Help strengthen my weak knees to go.
Though it be a cross and not a crown
Help my soul look up, and never down.
Though the road be lonely and long,
Help my heart to make joyful song.
Though Calvary’s road may bitter be,
Help my eyes fix on eternity.
Though the world be cruel, dark and vain
Help my sufferings not be in vain.
Though no fruit be borne upon the vine,
Help me take up the cross that’s mine.
Though I feel like often, giving up
Help me see Christ drained my cup.
Though my tears be food and all the day
Help me to trust Your will and way.
Though Satan’s darts be cast at me,
Help me, by faith, to mighty be.
Though disappointments fall like rain,
Help me to see, grace falls the same. 
Though there be pains in every step,
Help me see that in Christ, I’m kept.  

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

Some interesting resources in Jan 2012

Before I forget, here are some things that I want to come back to and check out:

• Hymns of the Faith series at First Presbyterian Church (Ligon Duncan and Derek Thomas’ church).
• 9 Marks media page with a ton of interviews and other interesting thingums.
• Vimeo links of D A Carson preaching at Veritas Church on Eschatology.
• AFES conference Vimeo links of D A Carson preaching, over a few sermons, on how Christians preserve the gospel in different capacities.
• Vimeo links of The Don preaching at St Helen’s Bishopgate in London on preserving again.
• 2 Vimeo sermons of Francis Chan preaching at Fearless.
• 5 part series by Paul Tripp on the Nowism of the Gospel at New City Church Gahanna.

Why you need sanctification

1. It will save you heartache when your sin rips your life apart

2. It will keep you from disaster, disgrace, desolation and damnation

3. It protects those you love from living a life of hell that you will bring them

4. It frees you to enjoy life as it was meant to be lived by admitting your limitations and God’s omnipotence- with God as God, not you as God

5. It kills the sin that God’s wrath is against, and draws you in sweeter communion with Christ

6. It liberates you from living a life of emptiness and purposelessness and enables you to pursue Christ-likeness and joy

7. It allows your life to be a theater for God’s transforming grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to be revealed for all to see

8. It opens your eyes to a clearer view of the world in categories of sin, holiness, grace and eternity and helps the world make better sense

9. It awakens your spiritual tastebuds to savoring the joy of knowing God’s favor and will through your Christlikeness

10. It unites you to thousands of others whose desire and delight it is to live for something bigger than themselves

11. It gives you the power to withstand human disappointment, heartbreak and frustration because your life operates according to another agenda than the world’s

12. It prepares you for a eternity that best suits human beings

13. It helps you become more fully human, as Christ was the perfect man

14. It keeps you from chasing after the emptiness of the world when you see through the fleeting illusions to the true meaning of life

15. It opens your eyes to see how amazing God really is in His holiness, and gives you more reasons to love and adore Him

Highlights from the epistle to Titus

“…for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness…” (Titus 1:1 ESV)

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—” (Titus 1:5 ESV)

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9 ESV)

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” (Titus 1:15 ESV)

“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:16 ESV)

“Older women likewise…They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,” (Titus 2:3-4 ESV)

“…so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” (Titus 2:10 ESV)

 ”For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…” (Titus 2:11-12 ESV)

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13 ESV)

“…redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14 ESV)

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3 ESV)

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…” (Titus 3:4-6 ESV)

“… I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
(Titus 3:8 ESV)

“…let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”
(Titus 3:14 ESV)