Category: Faith

Assurance of Salvation

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This section is part of a class that I am teaching called Discipleship 101, the Lost Art of Disciple Making, where we are going to cover the basics of the Christian faith. I have in my class those who have never been discipled as well as those who have been with Christ for a long time, but are seeking tools and strategies for helping or mentoring others toward becoming disciple makers.

This is a brief section of reasons to believe and trust, and several verses to look up, which is done easily on this site.

Assurance of Salvation
We find direct statements in God’s Word: John 5:24, 1 John 5:13, Titus 1:2

But can We Believe the Bible?
The Bible claims to be the Word of God: expressions in the Bible, like “and God said…” or “Thus says the Lord…” and “God spoke to Moses…” – Genesis 1:3, Exodus 20:1, Joshua 14:5, Luke 24:27, 44, John 10:35, Acts 1:16, 17:2, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21

The Bible is proved to be the Word of God.

  1. Unity: recorded over 1600 years, three languages, men and women from different countries and ages, with a unified message, it is one Book.
  2. Fulfilled Prophecy: hundreds of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, the Jews, the Gentiles.
  3. Archaeology: always proves the Bible’s story, if it hasn’t, just wait.
  4. The Test of Time: through sword and flame, atheism and paganism, cold indifference and false prophets, it’s still here.
  5. Universal Demand: the world’s bestselling book.
  6. Denunciation of Sin: evil is never tolerated, but is dealt with openly, nothing in secret, characters are recorded as fallen, never perfect (Exodus 17:5-7, Numbers 20:7-13).
  7. Power to Change Lives: George Muller of Bristol, as an example.

The Witness of the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:16.

  1. What That Means:
    1. He is a Person, not a force.
    2. He is a Trinity, co-equal with the Son and Father.
    3. We are His temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 John 4:13
  2. How This Happens:
    1. He is the believer’s teacher – John 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:12-15
    2. He is the believer’s comforter – John 14:16, paraclete, John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7
    3. He is the believer’s guide – John 16:13, to lead the way (Matthew 15:14), Romans 8:1, 14
    4. He is the believer’s helper and intercessor – Romans 8:16
  3. A New Life – Transformation, 2 Corinthians 5:17
    1. A new attitude toward sin: Romans 7:19-20, they hate it, a new heart.
    2. New desires and new friends: new primary fellowship, community and growth.
    3. Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 7:20, Acts 4:13
    4. Assurance through Christian growth: Titus 3:5, Philippians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

What's Your "One Thing?"

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Most men are pretty confident… in their work, personality, abilities, marriages, golf game and maybe even that their favorite baseball team is going to win the pennant this year. Men are also pretty confident when it comes to spiritual matters. Perhaps this comes out of an American desire to be self-sufficient. We often want to come to God on our own terms rather than come to Him on the terms He has already laid out. As long as I’m in church on Sunday, God can’t expect more out of me than that. I watch my language, don’t cheat in my business, and am faithful to my wife. Not bad stuff, but what is that one thing that you protect more than anything else?

When a relationship is broken, the only way to get back into a right relationship is to follow the remedy of the offended person. It works in real life because the repentant offender asks, “What can I do to make it up to you, for the bad thing that I have done to you?” Then hopefully the offended person will tell this person what is needed. Do we approach God the same way? Not really. We have offended God on a regular basis and then expect Him to approve of whatever we are willing to do in order to come back to Him on our own terms. We get out our list and tell God we will stop doing items 3, 6, 7, and 12, but the rest of my list is off the table. These are my terms. You should be pleased that I have made these concessions.

In Luke 18:18-30, there is a story of the Rich Young Ruler. Actually the “Rich Young Ruler” is not a guy we find in the Bible. Bible teachin’ pastor say what? He’s sort of a compilation of three stories in the synoptic gospels. Matthew tells us he was young (Matthew 19:22), Mark tells us he was a man with property (Mark 10:17, 22) and Luke mentions he was a ruler who was extremely rich (Luke 18:18, 23). It’s all the same story told from different perspectives. Mark and Luke don’t deny that he was young. Mark and Luke don’t deny that he was a ruler. An most of us would agree that property owners have a tendency to be rich.

People tend to believe that there may be a single act that could be done in order to secure one’s salvation… and this guy wanted to make sure he had done it. Jesus gives a short list of things that are good in God’s kingdom economy (Luke 18:20), and this guy was confident that he had been faithful (Luke 18:21). In reality, he failed miserably. He claimed to be a keeper of the commandments, but failed the first one, to have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3). Jesus goes straight to the point and so will I… in all the seemingly good that is a part of your life, what is the one thing that you have failed to do in order to follow Christ? If we don’t get started out on the right track, we end up lost at a totally unplanned destination. This guy was so sure, so confident, that he did not see the error of his way.

Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. I have to admit that there is a tendency to think that Jesus is offering an alternate plan of salvation, to buy your way in, but look at the actual statement (Luke 18:22). At the end, Jesus tells him to “come, follow Me.” That’s the kicker. We can do a lot of good stuff on a regular basis but if we are not following Jesus, learning from Him, becoming a disciple of Jesus or a Christ follower, we are no different than the rich young ruler.

Now it’s self-examination time. What is your one thing? What prevents you from being sold out to Jesus? Have you become his follower, or just a believer? How are you growing spiritually and passing it on to others or to your children? Have you come to God on His terms rather than trying to come to Him on your own terms?

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Men Who Forgot Jesus

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It was Thanksgiving 2007 where I did a dramatic monologue at the King’s Grant Thanksgiving Eve service. The story came right out of Luke 17:11-19, where only one out of 10 cleansed lepers came back to thank Jesus for what He had done for them.

Lepers were the outcasts of society. People feared catching the disease, so they were put aside into leper colonies outside of town, banned from public life and the religious community. There was deep separation from others, (except for other lepers). They were required to ring a bell or call out, “unclean, unclean” as they approached people on the street or in town. This allowed the healthy people to part like the Red Sea and let them through.

Let me share the observations I see in this story are:

1. These lepers were men (Luke 17:12). As Men of Steel, we recognize that the Bible often speaks of men… yes, there are stories about how Jesus broke the gender barrier and elevated the role and status of women, but some stories are specifically about men. So, while women can make application to their own situations and lives, men need place themselves in the story, as men.

2. These men stood at a distance (Luke 17:12). How often do men come into the community of faith yet remain at a distance? The “Jesus thing” is OK for my wife and kids, but I’ll just keep my distance so I won’t become sold out, a Jesus freak, a fanatic or required to do too much outside of my normal routine. As men, we need to look out for each other, which cannot be done from a distance. We need other men willing to call us to account for our behavior that does not honor our wives, or our God. We need someone unafraid to get in our face and challenge us to get back on track. That’s what friends do. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) which is a process that can often “hurt” the flint and the blade because there is friction and parts of the blade are filed away in order to become a sharp instrument, the way the blade was intended and works best.

3. These men met Jesus (Luke 17:12). While a simple fact, the purpose of Men of Steel is to know Christ and make Him known (the same motto of King’s Grant Baptist Church). Men need to be able to hear and understand the gospel in a culturally relevant way, and we seek to put the gospel into language that men can understand. Since we all face similar situations and struggles, we can speak the same language and help someone who does not know Christ to come and meet him. The introduction need not be a hardliner presentation of the gospel, but as we live life, we can help other men understand there is more to this life than just living or existing. How can we help more men meet Jesus? The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) needs to be our primary focus.

4. These men raised their voices to Jesus (Luke 17:13). This might be a lesson for all of us; to not be afraid or ashamed to speak up for Jesus when the opportunity arises. While at this point in the story these men were not “saved,” they definitely knew who they needed to find and meet in order to get their lives straightened out. The crowd must have been looking at them, and angry at them for invading their space… “These men should be put away somewhere, out of sight, where they can’t bother anyone. Who are they to come to this rabbi; no one has time for these outcasts.” Wow, how many times did other people write us off before we came to Christ?

5. These men ask for mercy (Luke 17:13). I have discovered that there is quite a difference between justice, mercy and grace. Justice is pretty much getting what you deserve; mercy is not getting what you deserve; and grace is getting something that you don’t deserve. They asked for mercy, basically to not receive what they deserved, which in this story is misery in life and a slow, agonizing death. They did not deserve this fate because of anything they did that was perhaps more sinful than the crowd, but since they were in this situation, this is the path that they were on. Jesus can come into any life and take them from the wide path that leads to destruction and set them on the narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14).

6. Jesus sees and speaks to these men (Luke 17:14). No mater how alone we feel in this life, Jesus sees us and speaks to us. There is “no temptation such as is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13) meaning that Christ was tempted in all ways as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). So, He hears us and understands our struggles.  He speaks to us today through His revealed and inspired Word, the Bible. That is why it is so important to be involved in a regular small group for Bible study. We experience real and genuine life change in community, not a cocoon!

7. These men were to go and show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14). At the risk of soundings obvious, where do we find the priests in Jesus’ day? At church. I believe that even while we are still in our sinful state, we need to be involved in the community of faith. People cannot wait until they get their lives back on track to start going to church, because it will never happen. If we could earn our salvation on our own without Christ or grow toward maturity without His church, we would not need either, but we can’t. How many times do men fail on their own, until they get into a proper relationship with God through Christ?

8. Only one of these men came back with gratitude (Luke 17:15-16). We often focus on the nine ungrateful men who did not come back to thank God for what He had done for them, but are we not more like the nine than the one who came back? The Bible tells us to be thankful in everything (1Thessalonians 5:16-18), so what are you thankful for? Wife, kids, job, home, money, health, church, friends…? Why not make sure you approach God daily with a thankful heart?

9. This one man was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16-17). Samaritans were the hated half-breeds that real Jews despised. Here Jesus makes the Samaritan the hero of the story. In context we know that the Jews felt they needed no forgiveness from God because they were the “chosen people” of God. The Pharisees believed that they were already in right relationship with God through their religious ceremonies and knowledge of the ancient writings. They were so much better than the common people, especially those who were non-Jews. The point for us might be that we must accept everyone without prejudice or bias against them. Jesus said that our acts of kindness done for “least of these” is actually done for Christ (Matthew 25:40, 45). The ground at the foot of the cross is level; no one is higher than someone else in the Kingdom (not Americans, whites, Europeans, or even wealthy people).

10. This one man was “made well” by his faith (Luke 17:19). After all the talk about church and living a godly life, the one thing that cannot be left out is faith. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and we live the Christ-life by faith (2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 2:6). Faith is what the church and a relationship with Jesus is all about. If we want to be made well, it can only be done through faith in Christ.

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The Fear Factor

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People are afraid of a lot of stuff… spiders, tornadoes, crime, losing a loved one, or a job, the economy, fear of commitment, fear of asking out the girl in your class, maybe getting the next Vepco bill, fear of heights or of pneumatic nail guns, maybe the ocean, or even witnessing for Jesus.

Today I want to address the issue of choosing faith over fear.

The Bible has a lot to say about NOT being afraid…

    1. The angel visits a young virgin and says do not be afraid.
    2. The angel tells Zacharias and says he should not be afraid.
    3. The angels tells the shepherds about the good news of great joy.
    4. Jesus as He approaches the disciples on the sea, walking on the water.
    5. After the resurrection, Jesus encourages the disciples.
    6. The Lord to Paul during the shipwreck; that he must stand before Caesar.
    7. The apostle John on Patmos, in his vision of the risen Christ, “do not be afraid, I am the first and the last”

      The verse for today is 2 Timothy 1:7 – he has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind, (or discipline).

      FEAR is basically False Evidence Appearing Real.

      1. False = because our enemy wants to use deception and lies to bring us down, to debilitate us from being useful and effective for Christ, he is even called the father of lies.
      2. Evidence = because we are a people that seek signs to validate our experiences, the enemy wants to convince us that what we fear is rational, rather than a phobia that many people term as irrational.
      3. Appearing = because we rely on our sight, so much that we tend to walk by sight rather than by faith.
      4. Real = because our actions are based on what we believe to be real. It’s not myth or legend that we trust in, because we follow principles of logic and science, and often these are convincing and appear real.

      A spirit of fear is not something God gives to us. God wants us to walk in faith. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, He has given us:

      1. Power = because weak and timid are not synonymous with power, they just don’t go together. The same power that raised Jesus is available to us today. We say that we cannot help but be afraid. Sure, it’s fine to be afraid at times. Fear often keeps us form doing stupid things that can damage us or kill us or do us harm. But as believers, we do not have to live in fear.
      2. Love = because the essence of God is love, and we are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. You really cannot love someone that your fear. The fear of the Lord is more like respect and awe; but also knowing that He has the power of life and death over us, maybe we are just flat our suppose to fear Him. We can love God because of the great love He has shown to us, the sacrifice of His one and only Son on our behalf, even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
      3. Sound Mind = because once one comes to Christ, our theology begins to make sense. The natural man cannot accept or understand the things of the Spirit of God, and they are foolishness to him, because they are spiritually discerned. Other translations use the term discipline which perhaps gives us an understanding into spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, solitude, Bible study, fellowship with believers and witnessing to the world. God wants us to move from fear to faith.

      I would call FAITH, Forsaking All I Trust Him.

      1. Forsaking = because when we move toward God, we must move away from other things, like sin, worldliness, vices, bad habits, unhealthy relationships, pleasure seeking, acquisition of stuff.
      2. All = because sometimes we tend to think that we can let Jesus into the living room or the parlor of our heart, but we don’t want Him to roam around the whole house. My heart Christ’s home. He wants all of us; to go into every room. We can’t clean up on our own, we need Him to sweep the place clean, eliminating that which is not allowing me to conform to the image of Christ.
      3. I = because choosing faith over fear is a personal decision, no one can choose to have faith for someone else. Each must decide to follow Christ and choose to live for Him on a daily basis. We wake each day with a choice to make… will I surrender to Christ or have my own way?
      4. Trust = because this is the essence of what we offer back to God. The same Greek word for faith is often translated as belief. When we truly trust, we believe what God says is trustworthy, and we act on our faith. John 3:36 (KJV) says “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” It is better translated in the NASB, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life,” Same word, belief, faith, obedience. The word carries a lot of weight…
      5. Him = because God is worthy of our total devotion to Him. He is the sovereign God of the universe, and we are nothing in His sight. What is man that God should be mindful of him? We cannot save ourselves. The relationship with God has been broken and the only way to mend that relationship is to follow the instructions of the offended one, just like in earthly relationship. “What can I do to make up for what I did?” We can never just do what we want to make up for a wrong we did to someone else. We come back into relationship on the terms of the offended one. God made a way, through Christ and His sacrifice, and we can never just come back to God on our own terms or in a self-styled religious ceremony.

      On this weekend that celebrates our nation’s independence (message given on July 5, 2009), we can move from fear toward faith only be proclaiming our dependence. Dependence on God, and that He really does have our best interest at heart. That He desires to provide the best for us, and protect us from harm. Maybe you have not turned your life over to Christ. Make this day your declaration of dependence.

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      A Picture of Brokenness

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      These are notes for my Bible study class on Sunday mornings at 9:45, a book called Downpour by James MacDonald. Last time the lesson was on holiness, and it was significant to point out that we need to know what holiness is, because God expects us to be holy (1 Peter 1:16).

       

      Drop the umbrella:

      We have an umbrella that keeps the showers of God’s blessings from reaching us, it is called sin. Sin is not in the neighborhood, or in the newspaper; it’s in the mirror. If you have ever asked the question of why you don’t feel as close to God as you used to, the answer is sin. You can study the Bible all day and serve faithfully in the church, but the bottom line is that you have to deal with sin; and deal with it God’s way.

       

      We must take sin seriously because it brings God’s wrath (Romans 1:18). We fail to conform to God’s Word and His standard. Hamartia is the word for missing the mark or target. And missing it brings death (Romans 3:23).

       

      The origin of sin goes back to the Garden of Eden; they chose their own way and did the one thing God told them not to do (Genesis 3:6-7). From then on we have passed on a sin nature to all mankind, like a genetic disease. This makes every unbeliever an enemy of God.

       

      The extent of our sin:

      We all are sinners, to claim anything else would be self-deceit. When we acknowledge it, we forget it is a slippery slope that leads to ruin. Sin intends to do much harm:

       

      • Sin will pursue you (Genesis 4:7, 11, 12) by crouching at the door and desiring us.
      • Sin will disappoint you (Hebrews 11:25) by bringing pleasure for only a short time.
      • Sin will trip you up (Hebrews 12:1) by spotting your weakness and catching you off-guard.
      • Sin will enslave you (Romans 6:16) by making you obey through addiction.
      • Sin will expose you (Proverbs 28:13, Number 32:23) by bringing your secret sin into the open.

       

      Sin is my choice:

      There are no excuses like, everybody’s doing it, or it’s not that bad, or I haven’t hurt anyone. Sin suppresses the fact of God’s existence (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Theologians call this our God-consciousness. You’ve got to work hard to suppress the sense that somebody’s out there. He sees me and is keeping track. Sin is the attempt to push this sense down.

       

      Your conscience accuses you; that internal alarm that knows right from wrong. No one can plead ignorance, God has made himself clearly seen (Romans 1:19), and He has written it on our hearts (Romans 2:14-15). Can you let your conscience be your guide? Nope!

       

      • Your conscience is conditioned by what you know. The more you get into God’s Word, the more tender your conscience gets.
      • Your conscience is conditioned by what you do. It is made tender by doing right and becomes calloused when you do wrong. It is possible to sear your conscience, and actually lose the capacity to feel pain (1 Timothy 4:2).

       

      Creation shouts the existence of God (Psalm 14:1) so it is foolish to say there is no God. We are without excuse, and have no defense.

       

      Sin is destroying your mind, causing you to think foolishly (Romans 1:21 – meaning pointless or in futility). Thinking becomes soft or logically unsound. When sin drives decisions, a lot of foolish thinking will follow. (See questions on p. 119 in the book). Sin so distorts our thinking that we begin to invent a god that will actually agree with us (Romans 1:22-23).

       

      A slippery slope:

      We often do not fully consider the consequences of lingering in sin; but must see the slippery slope that will cause us to tumble. The author mentions three broad categories of sin: pride, pleasure and priorities.

       

      Pride is self-centered thinking, made up of three elements: position, prestige and power.

      • Position – it focuses on thoughts of superiority in relation to others because of the role you have attained.
      • Prestige – it has a consuming need for recognition, being watched by others and a desire for others to pat you on the back. It is dropping names and listing accomplishments.
      • Power – it is an inappropriate use of influence, to force people to do something not in their best interest. Then taking pride in the ability to affect others this way.

       

      Pleasure is not sinful, since God supplies things for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). It becomes sin when we seek to pursue it at the wrong time, with the wrong person or in the wrong amount.

      • Sex – it is out of control in our world today and has made serious headway in the church. It can seriously hurt and degrade like a bad cavity when out of the boundaries God has set.
      • Substance abuse – it dulls the need to rely upon God, and it used to take off the edge or dull the pain of life. It keeps you from seeing how much you really need God.  God wants you under His power and nothing else (1 Corinthians 6:12).
      • Stuff – it is not wrong to have things; it is wrong when things have us (Psalm 62:10). Pursuing stuff in the wrong amount, at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons is sin.

       

      Priorities describe the good that is left undone (James 4:17).

      • Priority of personal care – it is not taking care of yourself. Since we belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we are to care for ourselves. Overeating, failure to exercise, refusal to rest, etc. sound familiar?
      • Priority of others – it is making relationships a priority, rather than closing up or withholding yourself from others, failure to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32) and failure to love.
      • Priority of relationship with God – Only you can answer this: are you loving Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? Are you walking with God?

       

      Heartwork:

      Cultivate the discipline of calling your behavior that fails to keep God’s law what it really is, sin. We need to give God unlimited access and ful permission to shine His light into every dark corner of our souls. I will bring the handout on page 125 to class on Sunday.

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      Actions that Take Courage

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      I’ve been thinking about how the Men of Steel can take knowledge and principles and put them into practice. We have been doing it all along, but I recently read this list of actions that take courage and wanted to pass it on, after all the Bible commands us to take courage and be men (1 Samuel 4:9 – although in this case it is said of the Philistines). Here’s the courageous list:

       

      1. Admitting when we are wrong.
      2. Doing what is right when everyone else isn’t.
      3. Speaking to someone you don’t know.
      4. Saying “no” when someone is trying to get you to do something you know you shouldn’t do.
      5. Telling the truth and accepting the consequences.
      6. Standing up for something you believe in even though it might mean rejection, ridicule of physical harm.
      7. Defending someone who is considered unpopular or unacceptable.
      8. Facing a limitation and giving it your very best regardless of pain or discomfort.
      9. Confronting a fear without running away.
      10. Giving sacrificially to protect or promote either someone you love, someone who has been wronged, or someone who is in need.
      11. Being the only one.
      12. Taking a risk.
      13. Sharing your heart honestly; including your fears, feelings and failures.
      14. Living your faith with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength regardless of the cost.

       

      Not a bad list to live by. How many times do we find ourselves lacking courage; like the cowardly lion. His problem was that he had no heart. Seems that without a heart he would have asked for compassion or feelings or love… but courage? Courage is a lot like love; it must be expressed, or demonstrated. Courage is an action and not a feeling. As an example, God loved, and took action (Romans 5:8, John 3:16).

       

      The Bible has a lot to say about courage:

      • Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18, 10:25 – Take courage when you are called to lead.
      • 1 Samuel 4:9 – Take courage and be men.
      • 2 Samuel 10:12 – Be strong and courageous for the sake of your family.
      • 1 Chronicles 28:10, 20, Ezra 10:4 – Be courageous and act.
      • 2 Chronicles 15:7 – Don’t lose courage, for there is reward for your work.
      • Psalm 27:14 – Take courage and wait on God.
      • Psalm 31:24 – Take courage since we hope in the Lord.
      • Isaiah 35:4 – Take courage, God will save you.
      • In the New Testament: Matthew 9:2, 22, Mark 6:50, 10:49, John 16:33, Acts 23:11, 27:25, 2 Corinthians 5:6, 8, Philippians 1:14.

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      A Picture of Holiness

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      These are notes for my Bible study class on Sunday mornings at 9:45, a book called Downpour by James MacDonald.

       

      What is holiness?

      Holiness is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but what is it? Not to make a play on words, but it revolves around your view of God; that He is exalted, sitting high on the throne in heaven, transcendent and separate from His creation. In Hebrew the word is qodesh and in Greek it is hagios, and both mean “to be set apart.” He is majestic, set apart, and there is nothing like Him (Exodus 15:11). When we think of holy we must think separated.

       

      At the core of our sinfulness is our desire to usurp God. Adam and Eve listened to the lie that they could be like God (Genesis 3:5). In the New Testament, every human has exchanged the truth for a lie and worship the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). We desire to reduce this thing called holiness so that there is seemingly no separation between God and mankind.

       

      Holiness describes separation:

      Heavenly throne room scene 1 – Isaiah 6:1 describes a heavenly scene, when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up. John 12:41 tells us that it was the pre-incarnate Christ that Isaiah saw (a theophany). John 1:18 mentions that no one has ever seen God; remember that He is separate from anything we know.

       

      • “I saw the Lord sitting.” He was not pacing or worried, but sitting in authority.
      • “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.” God is continually worshipped beyond space and time. The throne is high, so that even sinless angels will know God is separate from everything.
      • “And His train of His robe filled the temple.” At Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, she had a train that went down the isle and out the back door; a fitting symbol of her splendor. Here the train fills the temple, back and forth, packing the house. Who is like our God? (Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 35:10, 89:8). The question is rhetorical!

       

      Heavenly throne room scene 2 – Ezekiel 1:1, 3-4 has another scene different from Isaiah. The common theme is that if you have seen heaven you’ve seen the throne. Ezekiel is having a hard time finding words to describe it; using likeness 10 times and appearance 16 times. But when he sees it, he had to get down low (Ezekiel 1:27, 28). This emphasizes separation.  Today, we have lost this view of God because we see Him as near, approachable and our BFF. We have lost the reverence of Him being lofty, separate, holy and exalted. A casual view of God leads to cheap grace; and shallow sanctification on our part. We forget that no man can see God and live (Exodus 33:20) and that He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Basically our view of God is too small.

       

      Holiness demands caution:

      Be careful; be very, very careful. Isaiah does not go on to describe God, but rather the angels around Him (Isaiah 6:2). Even they fear gazing upon God, that He could consume them in a moment, so they cover their eyes and don’t want God to look at them. Even these sinless seraphs don’t want His holiest of eyes to look at them. They emphasize a “carefulness” around God.

       

      Heavenly throne room scene 3 – There is a Great White Throne in Revelation 20:11, like the garments at the transfiguration, being exceedingly white (Mark 9:3). Even the earth will see His holiness and retreat (2 Peter 3:10). Our sinful “casualness” in the presence of God is amazing, that we believe we could run the world better than God, or we would want to give God a piece of our mind.

       

      Holiness declares God’s glory:

      The angels sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” back and forth as they praise God. The universe declares His glory. The weather declares His glory (notice what is called acts of God). The earth is full of glory (earth’s axis being at 23 degrees to the sun). The solar system declares His glory (1.3 million of our earth could fit inside the sun). Not only is He Creator, but in Him all things are held together (Colossians 1:17). The universe declares His glory (140 billion galaxies in the universe; like 140 billion peas would fill a football stadium).

       

      The human body declares His glory: 100,000 miles of blood vessels, a heart beats 100,000 times each day, the body makes 25 billion new cells every second, nerve impulses travel at 426 feet per second (five times faster than lightening), and even a three month old pre-born infant has fingerprints. Psalm 139:14 is very true.

       

      Heavenly throne room scene 4 – it is associated with honor, all to Him and none to us (Psalm 115:1). In Revelation 4:11, the word is worthy, meaning “properly balanced scales.” No amount of praise we give to God will ever tip the scales.

       

      Holiness determines mystery:

      Isaiah 6:4 tells us about the ground shaking when He speaks. John was feverishly writing what he saw and then was told to stop (Revelation 10:4-7), which reinforces that fact that some things are going to remain a mystery.

       

      Heavenly throne room scene 5 – This scene comes from Daniel 7:9, 10, where God is called the Ancient of Days and a book is opened. Revelation 20:15 explains the book. Each of us needs to be in this book, and there’s no fooling Him, tricking Him or playing games with God. You are either a new creation or you’re not (2 Corinthians 5:17). We should be changing day by day, pressing on toward the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The power of sin must be broken for God to begin changing us.

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      We Need a Downpour

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      These are notes for my Bible study class on Sunday mornings at 9:45, a book called Downpour by James MacDonald.

       

      A dry and dusty heart

      There’s something about a dry spell that gets people talking. The bible is full of garden imagery, like Isaiah 58:11, that the human heart is like a garden. If you weed and water the garden you will experience a bumper crop. We are also instructed to guard our hearts, and take care of it (Proverbs 4:23).

       

      Think about the condition of your heart right now. What one word might describe your heart? The Bible promises that time of refreshing may come (Acts 3:19). Where are you on the scale between parched and refreshed?

       

      What do we mean by revival?

      We are not commanded to seek revival, although the Bible frequently mentions people being revived. How would you define revival?

       

      How about this? “Renewed interest after a period of indifference or decline.” It’s getting back on the right track; seeing the goal again; pursuing with a new passion; getting God back at the center of your life.

       

      The cart before the horse

      One cannot be revived if you have never been vived! We need to make sure we have already taken steps toward becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

       

      The invitation

      It does not matter how far someone is away from God or how they have been gone, the key is to return (Hosea 6:1-3). Our problems begin when we fail to “return” to the Lord. There is an invitation to “come.” It’s not too late for anyone to return. We also read, “Let us,” indicating that we are not alone, others are on this journey, too. The Hebrew word for return is used over 1000 times in the OT, 23 times in Hosea (like Hosea 5:4, 7:10, 11:5). Hosea encourages us, that good things await those who return to the Lord (Hosea 14:4, 7).

       

      Promises to keep

      These promises will keep us going when it gets tough:

      • I promise to be dissatisfied with anything less than a genuine personal experience with God (Matthew 15:8).
      • I promise to set God’s Word high above human teaching and to handle it with the respect it deserves (Acts 17:11).
      • I promise to give God access to every area of my life (1 Corinthians 10:26).
      • I promise to make this study about me and God alone (Matthew 7:5).
      • I promise to put into practice what I am learning (1 Corinthians 8:1).

       

      Returning

      Returning is a decision, which starts with understanding three things:

      1. Turning to the Lord is recognizing that some things have to go. Get rid of stuff that is harmful and recognize sin for what it is.
      2. Turning to the Lord is repenting of sin, being sorry for what has been done, and moving in another direction, away from sin and toward God.
      3. Turning to the Lord is actually re-turning, to the place where water has once flowed before, wanting what God has for me.

       

      The need for crisis

      The author mentions a difference between faith in a crisis and faith in a process. People become followers of Jesus at a turning point, conversion comes in a crisis. It would be good for each of us to share our conversion experience, as time permits in class, otherwise, sharing it with others helps to solidify what has happened.

       

      The author mentioned that while faith comes in a crisis, we wrongly believe that the Christian life will then be a process (called sanctification). “Process-only” sanctification leads to always adding to our faith; gathering more data in Bible study, with hopeful implementation. He says that the crises should not be left in the rearview mirror. We received Christ in faith, so walk in Him (Colossians 2:6). We often change our horizontal behavioral adjustments, but have very little heart transformation.

       

      Through pain to purpose

      Hosea 6:1 tells us that God has torn us so that He may heal us. The word torn is like that of a predator. It’s explicit, He is the one who has done this, make no mistake. God is behind the hurt in your life. God is trying to bring another crisis into your life, to move on to another area in your life that He wants to change in you.

       

      Through death to Life

      Although He has struck you down, He will bind you up (Hosea 6:1).  Job declares that we should not despise the discipline of the Lord (Job 5:17-18). The surgeon wounds in order to heal; the bone is properly broke to set it; the skin is cut to remove the tumor. We must stop trying to live the Christian life as all process and no crisis.

       

      What if I don’t return?

      God would rather see you anywhere else than in rebellion and resistance to His will. His desire is for our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). God is wiling to do whatever it takes to have you back.

       

      What if I do?

      We should know what the Lord expects; it will not be easy (Hosea 6:3). We are to press on to know the Lord. It’s more than just facts about God, it’s understanding the facts (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27). Knowledge of the Lord is an experience with God. Press on is a military term that can be translated persecute, the way a warrior conquered and then vanquished the enemy. Intentionality and intensity all rolled into one. We must make a commitment; don’t be lazy or sluggish about our faith, get fired up about it.

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      Why is Sanctification Needed?

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      A simple yet profound definition of sanctification is the life-long process of becoming more and more like Jesus. Some pseudo-Christian groups teach that believers will actually becomes like Jesus… like a god to rule over your own world, but I’m talking about becoming more and more Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and habits.

       

      Salvation comes to a person is multiple ways. Notice I did not say that there are multiple ways to be saved! When someone decides to commit themselves to Jesus and become a follower of Christ, he is saved from every sin he has ever committed, and will ever commit. This is justification (becoming just as if I’d never sinned). Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ and then glorification occurs when we finally see Jesus face to face, basically when we make it to heaven. There, we will finally be able to not sin! Three facets of one salvation. So in answering the question of my salvation, I can honestly say, “Yes, partly and no.”

       

      So what biblical support can I give that growing in faith and godliness is the right thing for a follower of Christ to do?

       

      • Peter tells us to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ – 2 Peter 3:18
      • We should not be content to remain immature in the faith, which was the case for many early believers – Hebrews 5:12-14
      • God works in us (through His word) to bring us to spiritual maturity (to sanctify us) – John 17:17, Colossians 3:16, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Psalm 119:11, 119:105
      • The Bible is the source of our faith and practice, to correct us, train us and equip us for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
      • The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of the word of God – John 14:25-26
      • The word of God is immeasurable effective in bringing growth – Hebrew 4:12
      • We are to be like a runner in a race, pressing on and continuing toward our goal – Philippians 3:12-14
      • We are to rid ourselves of everything that hinders us from movement toward the goal – Hebrews 12:1
      • We are to fix out eyes on Jesus because of what He has done for us – Hebrew s12:2
      • We are to train ourselves to be godly, like an athlete trains for his sport – 1 Timothy 4:7-8
      • We are encouraged to put much effort into living a godly life – 2 Peter 3:14
      • We are to abide in Christ so that we may bear much fruit – John 15:5
      • We are to become imitators of Christ – 1 John 2:6
      • Peter tells us many Christ-like virtues – 2 Peter 1:5-9
      • We should be motivated to grow in our faith, after all Christ did for us – 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Romans 12:1-2
      • God uses His word to revive our soul, make us wise, give us joy, and much more – Psalm 19:7-8
      • God requires that we keep working toward our salvation (not to earn grace but to demonstrate faith), and He works in us by His word and His Spirit – Philippians 2:12-13
      • God is graciously transforming every Christian into the likeness of His Son – 2 Corinthians 3:18

       

      It is amazing to me that someone could pray a prayer, come to Christ, receive His salvation and yet not commit to God wholeheartedly enough to eliminate sin and ungodliness from their life, and be content to remain a “baby” Christian until they die. To me, it seems like a situation of premature death.  

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      What is Repentance?

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      What is repentance and why is it so important that we do it? It’s a churchy word that means to turn from going in one direction; making a 180-degree turn and go in the other direction; to turn from sin and turn to the Savior. While repentance is not the act that saves us (since we are saved only by God’s grace and our faith in what Christ did for us on the cross) there is biblical support that we need to repent… basically how could one really be saved if we leave repentance out of the picture? So, we are not saved by repentance, but practically, how can we be saved without it?

       

      Here are some of the biblical foundations for repentance:

       

      • Jesus called sinners to repentance – Luke 5:31-32
      • Jesus called needy sinners to repentance, which leads to their salvation – Matthew 4:17
      • Repentance must be from a genuine heart – Mark 7:20-23, Jeremiah 4:3-4, Joel 2:12-13
      • Godly sorrow brings repentance, which leads to salvation – 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
      • Repentance brings joy in heaven – Luke 15:7
      • God calls for people to seek Him, turn from their wickedness, and He promises to forgive them – Isaiah 55:6-7
      • God calls for people to forsake their idols and forsake practicing evil – Ezekiel 14:6
      • Life comes to the one who repents – Ezekiel 18:21-22
      • God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked – Ezekiel 18:23
      • The lord calls earnestly for sinners to repent – Ezekiel 18:30-32
      • Jesus pronounced judgment on those who refuse to repent – Matthew 11:20-24
      • God calls for repentance out of His kindness – Romans 2:14
      • Refusal to repent brings punishment, but life if you do – Romans 2:5-6
      • Disaster comes to those who do not heed God’s call to repentance – Proverbs 1:24-28
      • Repentance brings forgiveness – Luke 7:37-38, 48-50
      • God’s anger is poured out on the unrepentant – Isaiah 42:23-25
      • Return to God and He will return to you – Malachi 3:7
      • If God’s people turn from their wickedness, He will forgive them – 2 Chronicles 7:14
      • Paul preached that we must repent, turn to God and do deeds that prove our repentance – Acts 26:19-20

       

      A great resource on this topic is John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus. The basic foundation is that when someone encountered Jesus in the Bible, they did not just get saved by praying a prayer, their lives where transformed.

       

      BTW, if you are looking for a Sunday class at 9:45, I’m starting a new six-week study on the miracle of life change, beginning on April 26. Transformation is much more significant than just believing the right stuff about Jesus!

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