Christian Resolutions

The beginning of a new year turns our thoughts to resolutions. It can be a good time to evaluate where we've been and start fresh on the path to where we would like to be. Nathan Busenitz offers the following observations about what New Years resolutions ought to look like from the perspective of a follower of Christ. [His entire post can be found here.]  

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." (Mk.8:34)

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... Even a quick glance at a typical “Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions” is enough to see that it contains no major surprises. As expected, the things our world values most — such as finances, fitness, family, friends, and food — consistently top the list of popular self-made promises.

But shouldn’t there be something more to the resolutions we make as Christians? I certainly think so.

Why? Well, for starters, our purpose on this earth is totally different. While those in the world discipline themselves for physical gain, we are to discipline ourselves for godliness (1Tim.4:7–8). While they relegate sobriety to a designated driver, we are to be constantly sober in spirit for the purpose of prayer (1Pet.4:7). While they pursue the various lusts of this passing age (1Jn.2:16–17), we are to pursue holiness, in keeping with our holy calling (1Thess.4:7). They have a temporal perspective, we are to have an eternal one; they live for their own personal success, we are to live for God’s glory (1Cor.10:31); they conduct themselves however they see fit, we are to love God and keep His commandments (Mk.12:30). From our allegiance to our attitudes to our actions — we are totally different than the world around us … or at least we’re supposed to be. That’s why Peter calls us “aliens and strangers” (1Pet.2:11), "sojourners" in this foreign land called earth (cf. Heb.11:13).

So as you make your New Year’s resolutions for 2012, don’t be content with merely planning to drop a few pounds or save a few pennies. Instead remember that, as a believer, to live is Christ (Phil.1:21) and to follow Him is to deny yourself and daily take up your cross (Mk.8:34). He is to be the supreme object of all our aims and affections. He is the One we are to please; He is the One we are to praise; and He is the One we are to pursue. Everything else, in comparison, is nothing more than rubbish (cf. Phil.3:7–8)...

If that’s the case, then what kinds of resolutions should we be making?

The seventy resolutions of Jonathan Edwards serve as a wonderful example to us in this regard. Amazingly, Edwards penned these resolutions when he was only in his late teens and early twenties. Moreover, the commitments he made were lifelong pursuits; they were not limited to just the next year (as our New Year’s resolutions often are).

  

Here are the primary areas in which Jonathan Edwards was resolved:

1. To live for God’s glory

2. To make the most of this life, in terms of eternal impact 

3. To take sin seriously

4. To become theologically astute 

5. To be humble

6. To exhibit self-control in all things

7. To always speak with grace and truth

8. To constantly develop an eternal focus

9. To be a faithful Christian, in prayer and dedication

10. To daily pursue a fervent love for Christ

As we consider the resolutions that we make for 2012, we can definitely learn something from the man widely recognized as America’s greatest theologian. Even when Edwards resolved to use his time wisely, to eat properly, or to maintain healthy relationships with others — resolutions that seem to coincide with the secular “top ten” list — his resolve flowed out of a God-focused perspective that was eternal in its scope. Thus his resolutions were not merely temporal lifestyle adjustments designed to solve a perceived bad habit. Instead, they were earnest spiritual decisions made for the purpose of combating sin and living a God-glorifying life.

Moreover, Edwards did not solely rely on his own willpower or clever scheming to stay true to his resolutions. To be sure, his resolutions required a tremendous amount of personal discipline and hard work. Yet, unlike the self-made commitments of the world, Edwards ultimately relied on God’s grace to help him accomplish what he knew to be humanly impossible (cf. Phil.3:12–13). In the preamble to his resolutions, he wrote: “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”

So what kind of resolutions will you make this year? Will they be those that reflect biblical priorities? Will they be those that necessarily depend on divine grace to accomplish? Will they be those that accord with the will of God and the glory of Christ?

If not, then what makes our resolutions any different than the good intentions of the unbelieving world? But, if our perspective is eternal and our priorities are biblical, than our resolutions will be categorically different — even if our list includes things like better time management, greater self-discipline, and more love for others.

After all, as a Christian, good intentions aren’t enough … only godly intentions will do.

[from Nathan Busenitz, Cripplegate blog]
[Related Post: Eyes on God, A Lesson from Edwards]

"Comfort One Another"

What do you think of when you hear the word "comfort"? The English word means to "soothe, console or reassure, bring cheer to." So when we read that believers are to "comfort" one another, that is naturally what comes to our mind. But the meaning of the original language goes so much deeper than that. The Greek word is variously translated "comfort", "exhort", "encourage", "urge". It's related to the word "Comforter", which Jesus uses to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Most of us don't have a problem with the idea of being comforted/encouraged in the English "I'm OK/You're OK" sense. But we might balk at the idea of being comforted/encouraged/exhorted by another believer if it involves having to change our way of thinking or our direction in life in order to line up more closely with biblical truth. And yet, just as the Holy Spirit exhorts/encourages us to holiness, so there are times when the most loving thing you can do is to exhort/encourage a fellow follower of Christ to greater holiness. Paul did so frequently in his letters to the churches.

This passage from the Octavius Winslow website reveals the SOURCE of our "comfort/encouragement/exhortation" to one another.  Real "comfort" is found only in God's promises as revealed in His Word. If you want to "comfort/encourage" another believer, point them to the truths of Scripture. Only there can true and eternal "comfort" be found.

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To comfort the saints is one important end of the Scriptures: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) And thus the exhortation runs — ”Comfort the fainthearted.” (1Thess.5:14) “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1Thess.5:11) “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thess.4:17-18) Thus has the Holy Spirit testified to this subject, and thus is it clear that it is the will, and it is in the heart, of God, that His people should be comforted.

The Spirit comforts the believer by unfolding to his eye the near prospect of the coming glory. Heaven is near at hand. It is but a step out of a poor, sinful, sorrow-stricken world, into the rest that remains for the people of God. It is but a moment, the twinkling of an eye, and we are absent from the body, and are present with the Lord. Then will the days of our mourning be ended, then sin will grieve no more — affliction will wound no more — sorrow will depress no more, and God will hide Himself no more.

There will be the absence of all evil, and the presence of all good; and they who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, shall take their stand before the throne of God, and shall “serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Rev.7:14-17)  Why, beloved in the Lord, let us comfort one another with these words, and with this prospect.

Spiritual Insight from Isaiah's Vision of God

Below is an excerpt from an article by Rev. Ian Hamilton, pastor of Cambridge Presbyterian Church, UK, reflecting on Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6:1-8. [The article may be found in its entirety here.]
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In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."  [Isaiah 6:1-8]

The Insight Isaiah Gained by Seeing God...

It brought to Isaiah first a deep felt awareness of his sinfulness – “woe to me… I am ruined…”!! When Isaiah ‘saw’ God as he is, he was not left standing – he was not left proud and dispassionate – he was deeply humbled! There is little doubt that Isaiah already was a believing servant – but a stranger to the pulse-quickened sense of God’s ineffable greatness – Isaiah was seeing himself as God saw him.

Second, it brought Isaiah a new sense of Israel’s corruption (v.5) – his encounters with “the King” caused him to see through the façade of Israel’s religion (cf. 1:10ff). – onlookers would have complimented Israel on the ‘healthy state’ of its religion – but when a man has had a sight of the majesty of God, he sees not only his own sinfulness, but the sinful state of his own generation.

Third, it brought to Isaiah a deep, personal awareness of God’s forgiving grace – as he is overwhelmed by his sinful uncleanness and un-doneness, God mercifully sends an angel to bring him God’s forgiving grace – a live coal from the altar of sacrifice – a coal which becomes the symbol of the basis on which God forgives sinners – touches Isaiah’s lips – inner pain, but “Behold… your guilt is taken away...”

To the forgiven sinner, ‘forgiveness’ is a humbling, overpowering, captivating word. Nowhere is this more highlighted in our Lord’s encounter with the “sinful woman” in Luke 7:47. The extravagance of her devotion to the Lord acutely embarrassed Simon the Pharisee, Jesus’ host. Jesus’ response is one that ought to humble all of us: “He who is forgiven little, loves little”. The depth of our love to the Savior is in proportion to the depth of our experience of and appreciation of his forgiving grace.

Fourth, it brought Isaiah to yield his life unreservedly to God! “Here am I…” – no cajoling, no pleading – the response of a man to whom inexplicable, sovereign grace has come. Grace costs us nothing, but it demands everything (Matthew 8:18-22; 10:37-39). Here is the reflex action of a man who has ‘seen’ the Lord and felt the power of his presence and grace.

Being Satisfied in God

Excerpted from the "Me and Brooks" blog, as a reflection upon the following quote from Puritan Thomas Brooks...

all (our) afflictions, troubles, and trials shall work for (our) good ...  That scouring and rubbing, which frets others, shall make them shine the brighter; and that weight which crushes and keeps others under, shall but make them, like the palm tree, grow better and higher; and that hammer which knocks others all in pieces, shall but knock them the nearer to Christ, the corner stone.  Stars shine brightest in the darkest night; torches give the best light when beaten; grapes yield most wine when most pressed; spices smell sweetest when pounded; vines are the better for bleeding; gold looks the brighter for scouring; juniper smells sweetest in the fire; chamomile, the more you tread it the more you spread it...”

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"The question for us in trials is then, is this ‘good’ something we actually want? Do we actually want to be more righteous?

One of the ways our trials increase our righteousness is that troubles take away the gifts so we can better appreciate the Giver.  Afflictions rob us of our comfort, our ease, our peace, our health, our wealth and even our sense of security, but they never rob us of God.  They do us good by showing us that our existence is not as much about enjoying the benefits of God as it is about enjoying God Himself.  In a way, our lives are an unending, recurring replay of the second half of Romans 1.  We struggle to place more value on God than we do on the gifts that God gives us. We constantly slip into placing more worth on the creation than the Creator. When God brings afflictions into our lives it is precisely the opposite of the judgement of God ‘giving us up’ to our own way. Our troubles bring us back to face the question: is God alone enough for us?

When we are ‘scoured’ what gets rubbed off is only those things that should be. Our desires for the creation over the Creator get left in the rubble so that we will be rock solid in our satisfaction with God alone.  Afflictions lead us toward greater degrees of righteousness because afflictions lead us toward greater degrees of closeness to God. What this means is that the bedrock question is not, “Do we want to be more righteous?” but rather, “Do we want more of God?”  It will help us to want the ‘good’ that afflictions bring if we remember that righteousness is the path to enjoying more of God. In this way our afflictions are a way that God walks us away from the broken cisterns where we try to quench our thirst in vain and to the fountains of living water (Jeremiah 2:13). In this way our troubles are used to remove the scales from our eyes so that we can see the glory of the living God (Hebrews 12:14).

When you are under afflictions and find yourself grumbling, remind yourself that these afflictions are ‘good for you’... because they will be used by God to give you what is most valuable; that is, God himself.

"...men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure... As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake."  [Psalm 17:15]"

[The entire post may be found here.]

"The Holiness of God" - FREE On-line Viewing

For a limited time, Ligonier is offering free on-line viewing of R.C. Sproul's video series based upon his book, The Holiness of God. I've listened through the tape series a few times and highly recommend it. Save $19.80 on the DVD series by taking advantage of this free offer!

Amazon gives the following description:

"The Holiness of God is Ligonier's most popular and enduring series. Literally thousands of people have testified to a transforming encounter with God through this series.

This classic can help you better understand the biblical picture of God's awesome holiness and why it is so foundational to God-centered, God-honoring theology and Christian living. In The Holiness of God, R.C. demonstrates that encountering God's holy presence is a terrifying experience. Dr. Sproul argues that this struggle is nonetheless necessary because it is the only way to cure our propensity to trust in ourselves and our own righteousness for salvation."

Click here to watch the series on-line.

Is Your Mind In the Battle? (Part 2)

  'Do not let your heart be troubled; 

you believe in God, believe also in Me.'  (John 14:1)

"Why is it so hard to just find some peace of mind? Well, peace is hard to come by when you live in a warzone. And like it or not you are in a war — a very serious one. This war is cosmic in its proportions. It involves God, humans, angels, demons, principalities, powers, nations, and antichrists.

And do you know where the front of the battle is? It’s in your head. Here is how Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Where is the battle raging? Where your thoughts are. What are the strongholds that spiritually imprison people? Arguments and opinions.

And arguments are not merely strongholds, they are weapons of mass destruction. Adam and Eve (and all of us with them) fell because of an argument. They believed the serpent’s argument and stopped believing God.

That is the deadly essence of sin: not believing God. To not believe God is to ally with Satan, whom Jesus said is “a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth… for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).  You don’t want Satan as an ally. He’s treacherous. He’s out to murder you with lies.

Watch your emotions. They are signals of arguments. Your emotions, which can land on you like vague impressions or moods, are usually responses to an argument. Moods don’t come out of nowhere. When we are angry, discouraged, depressed, anxious, self-pitying, fearful, or irritable, it is likely because we are believing something very specific.

To battle sin is to battle unbelief—or destroy arguments. And in order to battle unbelief effectively, we must press doubts and temptations into specific arguments. What specifically is being asserted or promised to us? Only then can we destroy the enemy’s false arguments with true ones.

The devil does not want us to think clearly about sin. He wants to keep things vague so he can imprison or disarm us. But Jesus wants us to think clearly. He wants us to know the truth because the truth brings freedom:

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

So as freedom fighters let’s fight against “unbelieving hearts” by exhorting one another every day (Hebrews 3:12-13) to live in the freedom—and peace (John 16:33)—of the truth."

[From: Jon Bloom, "We Destroy Arguments"]

(Earlier post: Is Your Mind in the Battle? (Part 1) can be found here.)

Worldliness - Is Your Mind In the Battle?

"Worldliness, that which makes the ungodly seem normal and the godly seem abnormal (David Wells), can seep in under the door, crawl in through the cracks, and flow in through the vents—all unannounced. This afflicts us when our taken-for-granted habits engender sensibilities (modes of thought, perception, and conduct) that make us less likely to hear God’s voice, to do God’s will, to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16), and to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12)."  [Douglas Groothuis, in a review of Tim Challies' book, The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion]
["Is Your Mind in the Battle? (Part 2) found here.]

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies - Week #5 [Epilogue]

And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."  (Revelation 19:5-9)

At the conclusion of her book, DeMoss brings to remembrance the glorious future of the bride of Christ,  individuals from throughout the ages who have been spiritually united to Christ through faith. As believers, we are being prepared for this blessed future event, we are being transformed into the image of the beloved. (2Cor.3:18; Romans 8:29)  And God calls us to participate in this preparation, i.e. our sanctification.  Paul gives a clear picture of the process in the opening verses of Romans 12. 

• "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Rom.12:1)

Worship isn't just what you do in church for a few hours on Sunday morning and evening.  It's how you live out your entire life in submission to God.  A believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:19-20).  In contrast to OT sacrifices, we are to be LIVING sacrifices.  Day by day, moment by moment yielding every area of our lives and all of our activities to God's use.  Is that how you view your life?  When you awake in the morning, do you acknowledge God's presence in your life and take a few moments to communicate with Him before arising?  Do you spend time in His Word in the morning, giving your mind a biblical perspective for facing the day?  All of this service is based upon the mercies God has poured out upon us (Romans, Chapters 1-11).

• "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:2)

There is both a "stop" and a "go" in this verse, a "put off" and a "put on".  Notice how Scripture never tells us to "put off" an unrighteous behavior without telling us to "put on" a specific righteous behavior in its place.  We are to "stop" living according to the pattern of this evil age, out of which God saved us! (Gal.1:4)   Over time, believers are to increasingly be "putting off" conformity to the thinking of the world system, which is in stark opposition to God, and by means of renewing their minds with God's Word,  they are to be "putting on" God-centered thinking, making them able to discern the will of God as revealed in His Word.

• "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Rom.12:3)

Walk humbly before God.  Having a spirit of humility means you think soberly about yourself, shining the light of God's truth ever deeper into the recesses of your mind, the way you think, your expectations, the way you view others, they way you look at the world.  It means slowly taking on God's view as yours, not in order to raise yourself up above others, but in order to be God's servant to all.

• "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Rom.12:4-5)

The Christian does not live out his life as the "Lone Ranger," but is placed by God into a body of believers who are intended to function together as a unit.  God has chosen to work through local assemblies of believers in this age.  We are each just a small piece of a group that must function in coordination with one another in order to accomplish the work assigned us. That's why fostering unity within the local body is such an important biblical concept, stressed repeatedly in the New Testament (Eph.4:3, 13; Phil.2:1-5; 1Pet.3:8).

DeMoss closes her book by reminding us "there's a Wedding coming ...The bridegroom is a holy Bridegroom, and he must have a holy bride.  And our Savior will have a holy bride. That's why He loved the church and gave Himself up for her.  That's why He took all those stains and blots on Himself."  DeMoss invites us to share in a God-centered world-view of life, "My goal in life is not that I would be free from problems or pain ... not that I would have great relationships or be healthy and financially secure.  My deepest desire is that I would be a holy woman and that the church of Jesus Christ would be holy."  Amen?

[Based upon the book Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Week #1; Week #2; Week #3; Week #4]

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies - Week #4 [Ch.7-8]

"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, and obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."  [D.A. Carson, For the Love of God]

I'll let you in on a secret.  When your child is in my SS class, I can tell  whether or not you're doing family Quiet Time with them at home.  I can tell if you've made it a priority to open up Scripture daily and reveal the beauty and wonder of God to your child.  I can tell if your child prays regularly and hears prayer regularly at home.  I can tell if they have been trained to look at life through the truth of Scripture.  When I see your child routinely skip worship service in order to participate in some activity or sport, I can tell what is and what is not a priority in your home.  When I never see you and your children at Evening Service, I can tell other things are more important to you than worship and Christian fellowship.  So can your child.

When you complain to me about someone, when you make disparaging comments, when you murmur and grumble, when you magnify the trivial and ignore the eternal, when you focus on the sin of others and not on your own heart, it tells me about your heart condition.   When I never hear you talk about serving others or what you're studying in Scripture or what you just discovered about God or how you see Him working, it tells me much about your spiritual condition.  You can tell the same kind of things about me.

Christianity is meant to be more than an outer veneer of morality.  It's meant to be more than the repetition of Christian "catch phrases" and putting a bumper sticker on your car.  It's meant to be more than having a group of friends to socialize with or a social cause to support.  It's meant to be a vital, abiding relationship with Jesus Christ, a continual renewing of our minds with Scriptural truth.  It means developing a humble and submissive Christ-centered spirit ... it means a life lived for God.  We as believers must realize that our heart condition manifests itself in our outward behavior ... and all can see it.  If our lives don't match up with our talk, it hinders our ministry to each other and to a lost world, and it hinders our spiritual growth.  More importantly, God can see it, even when others do not.  Unfortunately, saying we believe the Bible is God's revealed truth to us and living out our lives in obedience to it do not always match up.  We all struggle at times, which is why God has given us a local body of believers to encourage us on to godliness, to keep us on the path of righteousness, to help us persevere to the end.

In Chapter 7, "The Heart of Holiness", DeMoss leads us through a series of challenging questions based upon Ephesians, chapter 4.  She writes, "The New Testament authors challenge believers to recognize their position in Christ - justified, redeemed, chosen by God, set apart for His purposes. Then we are exhorted to live a life - inside and out - that is consistent with our position."  It's a process rooted in our spiritual union with Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, fed by God's revelation and manifested in our actions.

In Chapter 8, "A Passion for Holiness," she warns against a trend prevalent in the modern American church. "We have accommodated to the world rather than calling the world to accommodate to Christ. When will we realize that the world is not impressed with a religious version of itself?  Our greatest effectiveness is not to be found in being like the world; it is to be found in being distinct from the world, in being like Jesus."  I see another trend hindering our witness and spiritual growth.  How often do we view Christianity as a source of personal benefit, rather than as a living-out of the ministry of reconciliation God has assigned us to? (2Cor.5:18-20)  Too often a desire for personal blessing, for a fulfillment of all our "felt needs", rather than the pursuit and application of God's truth becomes our primary focus.  How is that any different than the followers of Jesus who sought the benefits of His miracles, but not Him. [John 2:23-24]?  Blessing does come from our union with Christ, but it's a result, not a goal.  And the pathway to "blessing" is really quite different from the ideas that might pop into our heads when we hear the English word "blessing". [Matthew 5:3-12]

These are hard things, but they are well worth thinking about, contemplating, examining in ourselves.  The Christian walk is not something we cut and paste onto our lives along with all our other interests and hobbies.  It IS our life if we're a believer.  "I ... 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." [Eph.4:1-3]

[Based upon the book Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Week #1; Week #2; Week #3; Week #5]

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies - Week #3 [Ch.5-6]

"Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins;
it is itself the essence of all sin." (John Stott)

As I read through Chapters 5 and 6,  I began to think about the one area of our lives that causes the most damage to our Christian walk - pride.  Pride prevents us from learning from God.  One must have a lifelong teachable spirit in order to grow spiritually.  Pride also engenders a critical spirit towards others, which leads us into a downward spiral of anger, bitterness and disunity in home and church.  Pride prevents us from truly loving others in the way God desires.  Pride is a universal, life-long battle for the believer.  Even writing about it makes me uncomfortable because I know how pitifully and how often I fail in this area.  But I am encouraged when I recognize God's hand slowly reforming my inner man, my heart.  

C.J. Mahaney writes, "Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him ... Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride - to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive.  No wonder God hates pride.  Let that truth sink into your thinking."  Pride is a funny thing ... it's so easy to see in others and so hard to see in ourselves.

The opposite of pride is humility.  If you're not constantly cultivating humility into your life, don't expect to ever find victory over besetting sin.  But how exactly do we go about doing that ... in a humble manner?  David Tripp writes, "My self-perception is as accurate as a carnival mirror.  If I am going to see myself clearly, I need you to hold the mirror of God's Word in front of me.  Hebrews 3:12-13 clearly teaches that personal insight is the product of community.  Since each of us still has sin remaining in us, we will have pockets of spiritual blindness ... The Bible says that we can be spiritually blind and yet think that we can see quite well."  (Proverbs 12:1)

What steps, then, can we take to build humility into our lives?  I propose five ways a believer can develop the mindset of humility:

First, acknowledge the battle.  Know God and know yourself from God's point of view.  If you're not consciously watching out for the sin of pride in your life, you are courting disaster. (1 Cor.10:12)  Having an accurate view of who we are before a holy and righteous God is the first step toward change.  Put off any critical spirit toward others.  It's a hindrance and does not glorify God.  Matthew 7:1 warns against judging to condemnation.  The reason we are so unqualified to condemn other believers is because, unlike God, we are neither omniscient nor omnipresent.  Too often we condemn on the basis of limited knowledge colored by much presupposition and vain imagination.  We put ourselves in God's place.  "Who are you to judge the servant of another?  To his own master he stands or falls..." (Romans 14:4)  That doesn't mean we don't help one another grow more Christ-like by shining the light of God's truth onto sin.  It means we do so in a manner that is edifying, that builds up, rather than in a manner that is critical and tears down.  It means that we do it by using God's truth as the authority and not ourselves.  It means we have the best interests of the individual in mind.  We don't gossip and slander, murmur and complain about their sin to others.

Second, approach God's Word with a humble attitude, ever seeking to understand what God is saying, the main point He is making.  Every time you approach the Bible, consciously put off all of your preconceived notions about what you WANT it to mean and pray that the Holy Spirit will illuminate your understanding of what it REALLY means within its context.  Seek the whole counsel of God, don't pick & choose verses out of context to back up you're beliefs.  Be willing to be wrong.  Be willing to be challenged.  Be willing to learn.  Have a "teachable spirit" no matter how old you are or how long you have been walking in Christ.  We all need to be both disciples and disciplers. 

Third, place yourself in the company of believers who will lovingly encourage you to godliness, rather than reinforce your sin.  Welcome correction from others.  It hurts.  It stings.  It's painful.  But it helps us grow. Self-defensive maneuvers only hinder our spiritual growth and joy in the Lord.  [If you're reading this and someone else pops into your mind ... go back to Point One.]

Fourth, confess your sin. (Ps.32:5)  Regularly examine yourself, be sensitive to your own sin and confess it to God.  If your sin impacts another, confess it to that person and seek their forgiveness.  Let awareness of your own sin become a natural response in your life.  When the jab of recognition is most painful, take it to God for forgiveness and press on.  (1 John 1:9)  [If you're reading this and someone else pops into your mind ... go back to Point One]

And finally, be patient - with yourself and with others.  Pride is the essence of our indwelling sin nature.  There is just so much pride and self-promoting tendency in our hearts.  God will reveal more and more of it to us as we obediently move forward in our Christian walk.  Let us encourage one another toward godliness. (1 Tim.4:8)  Let us hunger and thirst after righteousness. (Mt.5:6)  Let us be the light God wants us to be in this dark world. (Phil.2:14-15)  Constantly dealing with our own pride underlies any true service to the Lord.  "And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand..." (1 Peter 5:6)

[Based upon the book Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Week #1 here; Week #2 here; Week #4 here]

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies - Week #2 [Ch.3-4]

Before coming to the Lord, I can still recall my utter blindness to spiritual truth.  It wasn't just a matter of lacking information.  The Bible was readily available to me, but I had no sincere interest in wanting to understand it.  God sent people to explain the gospel to me, but I could not get past the idea that I was a sinner.  That just stuck in my throat and angered me.  My problem, of course, was that I couldn't see God for who He really is, nor could I see my precarious position before Him.  I certainly had ideas about who God was, but they were influenced more by watching movies and by my own ideas of who I wanted God to be than by His revelation of Himself in Scripture.  But God, in His mercy, placed me in the hearing of Scripture and one night... BAM!!... the piercing flood light of God's Word reached into my heart and I SAW my situation before a holy God who had created me, who sustained my every breath, who knew me intimately, who loved me while I was yet a sinner by providing a way for me to be forgiven & reconciled with Him, and who was calling me to follow Him!  I came to realize the "problem" with my view of sin was my "horizontal" gaze.  I was comparing myself to everyone around me, when God wanted me to look "vertically" and compare myself in the light of His righteousness, so that I might become aware of my own spiritual bankruptcy.

The story of David's sin with Bathsheba provides a clear picture.  When you read through 2 Samuel 11-12, you are struck by David's heinous sin against both Uriah and Bathsheba.  Plainly put, David forced Bathsheba into sin, stole her away from her husband Uriah and had his loyal soldier murdered in an attempt to hide his own sin.  Yet when God used the Prophet Nathan to bring David to repentance and David wrote about the experience in Psalm 51, he perfectly understood that ultimately his sin was against God.  "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." (Psalm 51:4)  This is precisely what DeMoss points out in Chapter 3, "The Enemy of Holiness."  All sin is ultimately against a holy God.  The more clearly we see that, the better we understand the true nature of sin and the more we will abhor it.

J.C. Ryle wrote, "A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He will dread all filthiness and uncleanness of spirit, and seek to avoid all things that might draw him into it. He knows his own heart is like tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation.  Who shall dare to talk of strength when David can fall?  Few Christians are ever too watchful and too particular about this point."  What a clear word picture... our hearts are like "tinder", susceptible to the "sparks of temptation."  We need to remember our vulnerability.  The Apostle Paul warned, "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1Cor.10:12)

The Bible is very clear - not only is sin to be put off/mortified, but righteousness is to take its place.  The balanced Christian life has one eye on removing and avoiding sin and the other eye on pursuing righteousness. The two work hand-in-hand.  Jesus said those blessed by God "hunger and thirst after righteousness." (Mt.5:6)   DeMoss introduces Chapter 4 with a quote from H.A. Ironside, "Be killing sin or it will be killing you."  I've heard believers express shock, amazement, even discouragement that the struggle against sin requires such effort.  There is often the idea that the Christian life should be easier, that as we progress in our spiritual walk we should struggle less.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  You need only observe Scripture.  "Put on the entire armor of God..." so you may do daily battle with sin! (Eph.6:11-13)   "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood ...  strive/pursue/make every effort...to be holy." (Heb.12:4, 14)

The battle against the flesh, the indwelling sin nature, will last until we're home with the Lord.  Christ's substitutionary death and resurrection removed us from bondage to our sin nature (Rom.6:6), but in this life we will struggle against it (Rom.7:18-25) and through Christ have been given the ability to choose righteousness. The believer has spiritual resources to fight against "the flesh", but it requires putting on ALL of God's armor and engaging in battle daily.  Particular sins might be dealt with, but God will continue to shine His light onto our hearts and progressively reveal other areas that need addressing.  This process of sanctification, making us in experience what we are in position, continues until we're in glory.  Rather than becoming discouraged about fighting sin, we need to build up one another in God's truth, helping each other suit up for the battle.

That's one of the reasons God places each of us in a local body of believers to grow among.  We complement one another in spiritual gifts and are given opportunities to encourage one another in righteousness, so that together we may do the work of the ministry (Eph.4:11-14).  Take advantage of sitting under the biblical teaching in your local church - attend Sunday services, morning & night, go to Bible studies, take Bible Institute classes whenever they are offered. Band together with like-minded believers to serve in ministry together.   And spend consistent, daily time in prayer. Find prayer partners and participate in corporate prayer.  [Did you know that Spurgeon had a group of women praying in the basement of the church during every one of his sermons?  No wonder his messages were so powerful!]

Expose yourself daily to the truth of God's Word (in context!!).  Purposefully look for ways to apply it in your life with the empowering help of the indwelling HS.  There's a reason the Apostle Paul compares the Christian life to a race and  a battle.  Those metaphors imply effort, striving, patience, obedience, endurance and perseverance.  As Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."  (Phil.2:12-16)

[Based upon the book Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Week #1 (Chapters 1-2) here; Week #3 (Chapters 5-6) here]

"Holiness: The Heart God Purifies" - Week #1 [Ch.1-2]

"Oh, God,

show me more of Your holiness.

Show me more of my sinfulness.

Help me to hate sin and to love righteousness as You do.

Grant me a deeper conviction of sin

and a more thorough spirit of repentance.

And make me holy as You are holy."

Thus begins Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book on holiness.  Reading through this book gives each of us an excellent opportunity to honestly examine ourselves. (1Cor.11:28; 2Cor.13:5)  Our sin nature makes us naturally good at examining others, but few are consistently good at pointing their finger where God wants it to be ... evaluating ourselves in light of who God is, what He HAS done and what He IS doing in our life.  He demanded holiness in the lives of His people Israel, those whom He had redeemed from bondage in Egypt (Lev.11:45) and He demands the same of Christians, those whom He has redeemed from bondage to sin (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:15-16).  By the end of this book, may we realize with DeMoss that "holiness and sin both matter"- more than we can imagine.  They matter to God, and the more we comprehend their true nature, the more they will matter to us."  For one who is spiritually united with Christ, to be holy is "to be wholly satisfied with Christ ... to reflect the beauty and the splendor of our holy Lord in this dark world."

The realization that holiness and true joy are inseparably bound to each other provides powerful motivation for the believer.  The pleasures of sin are fleeting (Heb.11:25).  Sin is deceitful.  IT is the real burden in life, yet it seeks to promote itself as something attractive (Gen.3:1-5).  J.C. Ryle defines sin as, "doing, saying, thinking or imagining anything that is not in perfect conformity with the mind and law of God. ... Men try to cheat themselves into the belief that sin is not quite so sinful as God says it is, and that they are not so bad as they really are. ... Sin rarely seems sin at first beginnings."

"True holiness is cultivated in the context of a relationship with God."  But God doesn't stop with the demand that His people be holy, set apart TO Him and FOR Him, He also empowers them to become progressively holy in practice through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  And He provides the means, the graces, by which the Holy Spirit conforms each believer to the image of His beloved Son (Romans 8:29).  Our appropriation of these graces (e.g. knowing & obeying His Word, prayer, sitting under godly preaching & teaching, meeting together to encourage one another to godliness) affects the rate of our individual spiritual growth.  Having a heart tender to the commands of God, a "soft heart" sensitive to Him, one that is quick to repent, quick to forsake sin, quick to obey, also impacts the rate of our spiritual growth.  Holiness starts with our heart attitude, then manifests itself in our actions.  Just like sin, holiness is rooted in the heart.  Any attempt to change our outer actions without first changing our inner heart attitude is not holiness at all and is doomed to failure, nor does it bring any pleasure to God. One need only observe Christ's attitude towards the scribes and Pharisees.  

"True holiness starts on the inside - with our thoughts, attitudes, values and motives - those innermost parts of our hearts that only God can see."  I would add to that list our "inward expectations".  An honest evaluation to make sure our expectations in life are, in fact, biblical, goes far towards helping us to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind and to put on the new man who has been created in God's image — in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth." (Eph.4:22-24)

My prayer for all of us, as we read through this book, would be that we would develop an honest hunger for holiness, that we would appropriate the God-given means/graces to reject anything less and that each of us would respond in humility of mind, which would allow us to honestly evaluate ourselves in the light of God's truth. May our motivation for doing so be a sincere and overwhelming desire to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.



[Based upon the book, Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Week #2 (Chapters 3&4) may be found here. Related Post: Expectations]

Perseverance in Holiness

My 5th/6th grade SS class just finished studying the Book of Joshua and  began the Book of Judges last week. Joshua, for the most part, is a story of obedience, blessing and success. Judges, on the other hand, is a story of disobedience, loss of blessing and failure. We noticed in SS class that the change had occurred within ONE generation. Now that leaves me wondering, "Why?"  Why was Joshua's generation, a generation so intent on trusting God and obeying Him, followed by a generation where "every man did what was right in his own eyes"?  Did the older generation fail to teach that next generation about God?  Were they so caught up in possessing the land, they forgot who had given it to them and that God desired to use them as His witness to the nations? [Ex.19:5-6]  Did they become a little too relaxed and comfortable at the end of their lives and their "almost complete obedience" failed to remove the pagan influence on their children?  Did they just get caught up living from day to day and push God into the background, allowing other issues and interests to capture their attention?  Did they start to spend more time looking "horizontally" than they did "vertically"?  Maurice Roberts, in his book, The Thought of God, wrote the following about the importance of persevering in holiness:

"Godliness is soon lost ... Holiness is vulnerable in this world. It is like snow that is quickly melted or mist which disperses when the sun rises up. In one single generation of a family or of a church the power of godliness which it previously had may be lost totally.

If we are to maintain and preserve the spirituality of our homes and churches we must act decisively and purposefully. This we shall not be prepared to do unless we are first convinced of the fact that godliness is the greatest blessing we can wish for our children and for all others over whom God gives us influence. We ought therefore to begin with the conviction that neither health nor happiness, wealth nor education, nor any other thing is comparable in importance to knowledge of God. If our children, our families and our congregations are poor in all else yet rich in their love to God, they are rich indeed. But if they are rich in all else and poor in love to Christ, they are miserably poor indeed. There can be no doubt that this is God's view of the matter and that it ought therefore to be ours also."

What is most important to you? Where do you place your priorities? On what do you expend your money, your time and your thoughts?  As Paul exhorted Timothy, "Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you."  (1 Timothy 4:16)

Winter Doldrums Book Club

The Ladies winter book club will begin late January/early February. This time we'll be considering the issue of sanctification, the believer's personal holiness. God commands His people to be holy, reflecting His own holiness. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (1Peter 1:14-16) What exactly does that look like in our lives? Nancy Leigh DeMoss has written a brief, but thought provoking book on the subject, entitled, "Holiness: The Heart God Purifies". 

Concerning the book, John Piper wrote, "When our pastoral team reads a book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, we listen. We are riveted. We are convicted. When you taste the pleasantness of painful and precious truth, you want more. I thank God for the heart-awakening, holiness-advancing, Christ-exalting ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss."

Let me know if you intend to join us, and  if you'd like me to order a copy for you ($9.60 hardcover). You may do so by commenting below, on facebook, by email or in person. "If you're longing for a deeper connection with God, you must first answer His call to holiness." Won't you join us?
[Order Deadline: January 16th]

You Be Holy Because I Am Holy

With Winter Doldrums Ladies' Book Club approaching after the holidays, I'm reading through a number of books on the importance of personal holiness in the life of a follower of Christ. I have not yet decided on the "perfect" book for us to read, but thought I would share a few quotes from what I have read so far, in order to whet your appetite. God calls His people to be holy because He is holy.


From Holiness by J.C. Ryle:
Surely that man must be in an unhealthy state of soul who can think of all that Jesus suffered, and yet cling to those sins for which that suffering was undergone. It was sin that wove the crown of thorns; it was sin that pierced our Lord's hands and feet and side; it was sin that brought Him to Gethsemane and Calvary, to the cross and to the grave. Cold must our hearts be if we do not hate sin and labour to get rid of it...

From Holiness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss:
God's goal in saving you was not just to make your few years on planet Earth easier or more enjoyable. He had an eternal end in view. His intent was to make you holy, as He is holy, that you might perfectly glorify Him, that you might bring Him pleasure, and that you might enjoy intimate fellowship with Him for all eternity.

The apostle Paul reminds us that God "chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." (Ephesians 1:4)

Your holiness is not secondary to whatever other goals you may have for your life - it is God's supreme purpose for your life. It is something He desired, planned, and made provision for before He even created the world...

"Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:3) When I consider my created purpose and my ultimate destiny ... I am inspired to be intentional about pursuing holiness, in anticipation of that glorious day when I will finally be holy through and through.

Do you share His goal for your life? What are you living for? From the time you put your feet on the floor in the morning till you pillow your head at night, are you consciously cooperating with Him and pursuing His eternal purpose to make you holy?"

A Call for "Coronary Christians"

More memorable words from John Piper, in another of his devotionals, Life As a Vapor:

I am glad for adrenaline; I suspect it gets me through lots of Sundays. But it doesn't do much for Mondays. I am even more thankful for my heart. It just keeps on being a humble, quiet servant - during good days and bad days, happy and sad, high and low, appreciated and unappreciated. It never lets me down... It just keeps humbly lubb-dubbing along.

Coronary Christians are like the heart in the causes they serve. Adrenal Christians are like adrenaline - a spurt of energy, and then fatigue. What the church and the world need today is marathoners, not just sprinters. People who find the pace to finish the (lifelong) race.

Oh, for coronary Christians! Christians committed to great causes, not great comforts. I plead with you to dream a dream that is bigger than you and your families and your churches. Un-deify the American family, and say boldly that our children are not our cause; they are given to us to train for a cause. They are given to us for a short season so that we can train them for the great causes of truth and mercy and justice in a prejudiced, pain-filled, and perishing world.

Oh, Lord, this is our heart's desire.
Forgive us for adrenaline spurts of righteouness.
Forgive us for little sprints of holiness.
Forgive us for short flashes of noble-minded sacrifice.
And build into the fiber of our faith a rugged, resilient,
never-say-die perseverance in the cause of truth and love!
Make us coronary Christians!

A Lesson from the Olympics

Like most of you, I have been feasting on the Olympics this past week. Since Colin has been home sick, we have even seen some of the competitions aired during the daytime. One thing you can't help coming away with is a sense of the commitment each of those athletes made to get to this point. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's use of athletic metaphors to describe the Christian life, in particular 2 Timothy 2:5  "... if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules." If you don't keep within the guidelines of the rules, you're disqualified. It doesn't matter how hard you're trying, nor how long you have trained. If you don't compete according to the rules, it was all in vain.

Likewise, believers need to be careful to pay attention to the "rules" behind their Christian walk, which brings to mind the oft overlooked area of our motives. Paul writes in Romans 12:1 "... in light of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." Note that it is to God we need to be holy and pleasing. Not to each other.. not to ourselves... but pleasing to God. In The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges writes, "We must ensure that our commitment is actually to God, not simply to a holy lifestyle or a set of moral values. We should not seek holiness in order to feel good about ourselves, or to blend in with our Christian peer group, or to avoid the sense of shame and guilt that follows the committing of persistent sin in our lives. Far too often our concern with sin arises from how it makes us feel, rather than on God's dishonor." Bridges relates his experience speaking at a retreat about "the importance of putting on a Christ-like character while at the same time seeking to put off sinful habits." At the end of the sessions he was approached by several people who were concerned about putting off persistent sinful habits in their lives. But no one came asking for help putting on any Christ-like virtues. He surmised the reason might have been because "sinful habits make us feel guilty and defeated. The absence of Christ-like character usually doesn't have a similar effect on us, so there is less motivation to seek change in our lives."

It certainly seems worth doing a little self-evaluation in order to make sure that our motive for living out the Christian life is that we might be "holy and pleasing to God." Just like the Olympians, we must pay close attention to the rules. The motive behind obedience matters.

The Battle for a God-Honoring Mind

The following excerpt is from a devotion by John Piper entitled "Passion for Purity Versus Passive Prayer". [FBCers ... you will soon have an opportunity to order this 31-day Devotional by Piper to read in preparation for Easter. In a few weeks there will be an offer in the Bulletin.]


"If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13)

"Too many people think they have struggled with temptation when they have prayed for deliverance and hoped the desire would go away. That is too passive. Yes, God works in us to will and to do his good pleasure! But the effect is that we "work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil.1:12-13) Gouging out your eye may be a metaphor, but it means something very violent. The brain is a "muscle" to be flexed for purity, and in the Christian it is supercharged with the Spirit of Christ. What this means is that we must not give a [sinful] image or impulse more than five seconds before we mount a violent counterattack with the mind. I mean that! Five seconds. In the first two seconds we shout, "NO! Get out of my head!" In the next two seconds we cry out [in prayer].


Good beginning. But then the real battle begins. This is a mind war. The absolute necessity is to get the image and the impulse out of our mind. How? Get a Christ-exalting, soul-captivating counter-image into the mind. Fight. Push. Strike. Don't ease up. It must be an image that is so powerful that the other image cannot survive. There are [sin] destroying images and thoughts. For example, have you ever in the first five seconds of temptation demanded of your mind that it look steadfastly at the crucified form of Jesus Christ? ... If you will use the muscle of your brain to pursue - violently pursue with the creative energy that you use to pursue [sinful temptations], you will kill them. But it must start in the first five seconds - and not give up.

So my question is: Do you fight, rather than only praying and waiting and trying to avoid? It is image against image. It is ruthless, vicious mental warfare, not just prayer and waiting. Join me in this bloody warfare to keep my mind and body pure for my Lord ... and my church. Jesus suffered beyond imagination to "purify for himself a people for his own possession" (Titus 2:14) ... "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness" (1Peter 2:24)"

[from: Pierced By the Word, John Piper]