An Eternal Feast

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:26

The Lord’s Supper is such a dynamic meal. Consisting of a small cracker and sip of juice, is packed the explosive power of the gospel to transform our hearts and minds. While it may not bring any physical sustenance, in communion we find a feast for our souls that will not leave us wanting. It is no surprise that there is a lot of confusion and even apathy over the partaking of a seemingly stale cracker and plastic thimble-size cup of juice. It is a strange thing to those looking in and maybe it is even a meaningless activity of weekly monotony to some within, but in communion there is an eternal spread of grace and glory for our souls to feast on.

Jesus told His disciples in His commencement of communion at the Last Supper, that this meal was to be taken in remembrance of Him. In the broken bread and juice we are reminded of eternity past. We are reminded of a God who, before time began, had set in place our means of ultimate redemption. (Eph. 1:4-10) We are reminded of a time in history past when the Son of God allowed His body to be broken and His blood to be shed that His people might be saved. (Matt. 26:26-28) Communion is a divine dramatization of the death of Jesus. Every week as we bring the meal to our lips we are to be reminded through all of our senses of the glory of the gospel. As David Mathis wrote the Supper is, “an act of new-covenant renewal, a repeated rite of continuing fellowship and ongoing perseverance in our embrace of the gospel.”

The Supper is more than just a meal for past memory but is also a proclamation of present reality. Paul says that every time we eat the bread and drink from the cup we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26) In this Supper we find a multitude of daily graces bestowed on us by the Holy Spirit. We are blessed with the grace of obedience in following Jesus’ command. We find the graces of the gospel that proclaim the death of our Savior in our place and so now our death to sin in this world. At the Table we as a church are brought by the presence and power of God’s Spirit, to proclaim the death of God’s Son, to the glory of God the Father. There is a spiritual union among God’s people with our Trinitarian God that happens in communion that powerful and sustaining for the Christian life.

The final piece of this eternal banquet is told in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Our small meal here in this world is just a taste of the feast in the world to come. At the Table we look forward to the days in eternity future. There, at the consummation of God’s Kingdom, we will join with the family of God to feast and delight in all that He is and will be for us. (Rev. 19:6-9) The Supper week to week with our local church family is just small picture of what is to come, and it is a small meal here because we know that nothing in this life can compare with the buffet of glory that is to come.

So come this Lord’s Day and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Come and remember the eternal story of redemption. Come marvel at and proclaim the Lord’s death and all its majesty. Come and feast with your family on the promises of God for what is to come at the consummation and restoration of the Kingdom of God. Come, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps. 38:4) 

One Body, One Spirit, One Gospel

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

            A tribal village in sub-Saharan desert, in 100 plus degree heat, with no electricity or running water, and no real cultural similarities seems like an odd place to meet family, but I did. Many would think there are too many differences in culture and lifestyle for anyone from middle class America to have anything substantial in common with someone from West Africa. We eat different foods, we work very different jobs, we live in different kinds of homes, we live in relationship differently, we speak different languages, etc. Yet despite all of the differences, there was one similarity that tore down all dividing cultural walls. A similarity of such magnitude it made all of the differences seem insignificant – our God.

            The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of the God that isn’t in the business of saving a multitude of different, individuals, but the God out to save a people. A single, unified people and body bound up in the “one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all…” That means while the Jesus believing men and women of West Africa could have been different from me in every single regard from the outside, our spirits testified together that we had one Father. (Rom. 8:16) Jesus’ blood runs thicker than culture, language, skin color, and geography. It crosses all border and boundaries in this world and in our hearts, and plants the flag of God’s glory, declaring all that it covers to be united under the rule and reign of The King. He made us a people not defined or determined by geographic location, race, or ethnicity but by our faith. We are now the people of God. Not only does it unify our citizenship under one God, it unifies our purpose as well.

            Before the gospel took hold of our lives we were given to living for a plethora of purposes. We had hobbies and activities we engaged in for our personal enjoyment. We worked and had families and friends to help satisfy our financial and relational needs and desires. We had a lot of goals that served a lot of different purposes. Then Jesus changed all of that. His Spirit came in and didn’t remove all of these ambitions, but instead He redeemed them. He took all of them and gave them a single, unified purpose – the glory of God. We can now work, live in relationship, watch movies, read books, and even water ski for the same reason. (1 Cor. 10:31) Our unity doesn’t remove our unique value, making us all robots performing the same tasks and duties. Our unity takes all of the parts of our lives that make us different, down to our desires, and redeems them for the mission of God’s glory.  

            Every Sunday is a Spirit led expression of the gospel of unity. We meet together as the people of God to affirm that our real home isn’t here on earth but our citizenship is in another kingdom. (Phil. 3:20) We gather to announce that our purpose and mission in this world is no longer a map of crisscrossing paths but a convergence on the glory of God. Sundays are an assembling of the kingdom that doesn’t place value in socio-economic standing, race, or ethnicity (Gal. 3:28) because the people of The King come from every tribe, language, people and nation. (Rev. 5:9) Sunday’s are a declaration of unity. So come Sunday and with one spirit cry out as one body the praises and glories of our one King that all may see, “…the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

The War of Worship

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

Galatians 5:17

            Sin is a grave and deadly force. It can fall on you like a sweeping wave of undaunted resistance. Pushing away all thoughts of life, hope and love. Like a mighty and villainous army it takes no prisoners and destroys everything in its path. Sin can also be more crafty and secretive in its approach. Instead of an outright attack on your soul, it approaches slowly from the shadows and in guerilla warfare fashion takes small victories at a time. Each time it advances closer to the overthrow and destruction of the kingdom of our heart. (1 Pet. 2:11) Sin wants the throne. It wants to use our bodies and minds to do its bidding for the kingdom of darkness. (Rom. 6:12) But we mustn’t let it. We must wage war against our sin. The rightful King must reign.

            While we may not recognize it, there is a battle raging all around us and in us. It is a battle in which the victor will claim the worship of your soul. We were created to be worshippers of an infinite God who can and will satisfy all desires for worship through His infinite attributes. Our sin broke this conduit of worship and instead left our soul searching for something to worship. Finite objects, people, relationships, roles, etc. have all tried to fill the void in our souls for worship but all have left us wanting. So our heart continued to search and latch on to anything that might satisfy. Each object of our worship fought for the right and authority to be the ruler of our heart. Then one day the Spirit of God came with the power and might of the gospel of Jesus and won the throne of our heart. He has claimed the right of our worship. Jesus has won, but our sin is still fighting.

            In guerilla warfare-like action our sin is trying to usurp the throne. Every day we face battles of temptation to worship other kings. This is our flesh, the remnants of sin in our hearts, fighting the reign of God. The flesh and the Spirit are vehemently opposed to each other. (Gal. 5:17) They have opposite desires. Every time we worship something other than God we are abdicating the throne to a lesser king. This fleshly king rules in evil tyranny, placing your heart, body, and mind into its self-destructive slavery. In Christ we can oppose this sinful militia and tyrant. God’s Spirit brings freedom, grace and life, and His words give us the weapons of truth and faith to go to battle (Rom. 8:13). We must put our sin to death (Col. 3:5) and let reign of the Good King continue.

            Every Sunday we gather together with the people of God to wage war on our flesh. As we lift high the name and banner of Jesus Christ, we declare to our flesh who we worship and bow down to as King. We go to war in worship through singing His praises and declaring His truths. Our confession of sin shines light on the areas in our hearts where we have let our flesh and our sin reign so we can see where we need to go to battle. The preaching of God’s word fills our arsenal with weapons for the continued battle. (Eph. 6:17; Ps. 119:11) The sacrament of communion reminds us of the sacrifice and love of our King and the greater feast and joy we will have under His rule (Rev. 19:9), and worshipping with our brothers and sisters brings unity and encouragement as we fight the war side by side. Sunday’s are a weekly military campaign for the King. It’s a gathering of His forces for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging the troops, and a refreshing of supplies for the coming week’s battles. So come Sunday and gather for war with the people of God. By the power of the Spirit take up your weapons of praise and truth, and refresh your heart with His love and grace. Then go to war against your sin and flesh with joy because while we may not know this battle’s outcome, we know who has won the war!

Saved to Sing

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, - Ephesians 5:18-20 

Why do we sing and use music in corporate worship? While the question may seem obvious at first, I think it is more difficult for us to pinpoint the exact reason why we sing in corporate worship. It is fairly normal in most church settings to sing and play music in America and in the global church, so we can assume that it isn’t just a product of our culture. At the same time singing and music aren’t required in any way to worship. Paul is very clear in 1 Corinthians 10, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Why then do we sing?

            The mouth and tongue are very powerful weapons in the life of a believer. They can be used for strengthening, building up, and exalting or they can be used for weakening, tearing down, and destroying. James says, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell… It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:6, 8) Paul picks up on this same thought in chapter 5 of Ephesians. This muscle in our mouth should not be used for – filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking, deceit, empty words, shameful topics, or getting drunk. Instead Paul tells us that along with our hearts, our mouths and tongues have been changed. They have been restored for a much higher purpose. They have been redeemed to sing.

            In verse 18 of Ephesians 5 we Paul tells the church at Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit, and this filling with the Spirit of God evokes a response in us that doesn’t fill our mouths with excess amounts of wine but psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We sing because we have been filled with The Spirit. It is the natural response to our soul being made alive in God. Before Christ our mouths and tongues were only used for evil, but in Jesus it can now be redeemed for the praise of the Creator. We sing because it is the gift God has given us to use as the acclamation of God’s work to save us through the gospel. We sing because we’re saved!

Singing is mentioned over 400 times in God’s word and 50 of those times are direct commands to us to sing. There is an entire book of the Bible filled with poems and songs that are meant to be sung. When God created Eve, Adam sang a song. (Gen. 2:23) When God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians through the Red Sea, Moses responded with a song. (Ex. 15) When Jesus comes again, we will join with our brothers and sisters from around the world and sing. (Rev. 5:9-10) Bob Kauflin pretty much sums it up when he says, “[God] makes it pretty obvious what He wants us to do in Ps. 47:6: Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!”

Now we do need to clarify that not all music and singing are worship, and I am not talking about those who are tone-deaf. Music doesn’t necessarily reveal God’s presence, bring us closer to God, sanctify or morally change us, preach propositional truth, or save us. Only the Holy Spirit working in and applying the finished work of Christ to our hearts can do those things. However, in music and song we can use the words, songs, truths, and ideas that He inspired in His word and by His power to declare and proclaim as one, the praises of our God. Music and song bring unity to the body of Christ as we sing together the same truths every week. The rhythm, melody, and words of songs also help us remember the truths we proclaim in amazing ways. We see this especially in times of great joy or great sorrow when the only words we can seem to find or relate with are found in your favorite songs.

This Sunday we will gather again with the people of God, to declare and proclaim the praises of God. We will praise through the avenues of serving, preaching, giving, communion, and song. We will sing the truths of scripture about God’s greatness, our sin, Christ’s love and forgiveness and God’s mission. We will sing about the gospel, and we will sing with our family. With one voice we will affirm and confess together what makes us the church. With our hearts full of God’s love and grace, our mouths will be full of His praises and our tongue will be quick to thank Him. Come this Lord’s Day with singing for you haven’t been filled with wine but with the Spirit. We have been made new and our tongues have been redeemed – so sing!

Word Fueled Worship

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; - Psalm 19:7-8

            Worship is not first about music, a style or even ritual. Worship is not first about a time on Sunday mornings or the building in which you meet. Worship is firstly and mainly about truth. It is about living out, acting on, obeying, declaring, assenting to, and/or believing in some kind of truth. What we fail to recognize oftentimes, is that God has made us in the depths of who we are to be worshippers. All that we do in our life is an act of worship. From brushing your teeth, to eating your lunch, to sleeping – everything that we do and even think in this life are an act of worship built and designed by your soul for what it believes to be best or most satisfying for your soul. We act and worship all that we do because we believe there is something right, good and ultimately true for ourselves in our obedience. Shouldn’t then the words from God, the greatest truth, be fueling all of our worship?

             When we think of worship on Sunday mornings or even throughout the week, music and even at times prayer seem to dominate the picture. While neither music nor prayer are bad things in any regard, if they aren’t founded in and guided by the truth of the Word, what are the songs about and who are the prayers to? We separate out the sermon on Sunday from our worship time when it should be the time that fuels and directs the whole of our worship time. Our worship is not some abstract thing of music and ritualized words with our “heads bowed and eyes closed.” It is an affirmation, profession, exclamation, and exhortation of the truths of God and the gospel, given and declared in His word.

            David the psalmist, does an excellent job in Psalm 19 of reminding us of the importance and the beauty of the Word of God. It is interesting how truth and beauty tend to work together in worship. As we consider the magnitude and wonder of the stars and planets or the immensity of the Rocky Mountains or the beauty of a sunset there is something that stirs in us. The magnificent and majestic tear us away from the reality of ourselves and reminds of the truth that there is something greater and better than us. God’s word holds for us this beauty and this truth but to an infinite degree. In its pages we don’t just find immense oceans and vast galaxies, we find the one who made them. We don’t just find words of wisdom or soul stirring songs, we find the one who spoke them and sang them. We find the Creator and the one who sings over us (Zeph. 3:17). We find God.

            David declares in verse 7 of the Psalm 19 that, “the law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.” Before the gospel was spoken to our soul, we were dead. There was no life in our spirit. All the things we gave ourselves to – our job, our family, our pursuits – all of them were fueled by a soul dead to the truths and realities of real life. But God, the one who spoke creation into being and breathed life into man, breathed life into our soul by the Spirit, and His word did it perfectly. There is not one blemish or mistake in what His word accomplished. It came and gave us life and it continues to revive today – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)

            Second, the psalmist tells us, “…the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” As we read God’s word we don’t have to second guess it. We don’t have to wonder about the motives behind what was written. We don’t have read the promises that God makes and wonder if He is going to follow through. All that God says is sure. It is the most faithful promise we will ever have made to us. God’s word is the check you can take to the bank 100% of the time and it will never bounce. In God’s word we can find the surety and security we have always wanted because what God determines, God accomplishes – “…I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Is. 46:10)

            David continues, “…the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.” God is righteous and good in all He does and says and this should make our heart rejoice. If such a righteous and holy God has determined good for us as His children then there is nothing in this world and my life that has not happened without His good and guiding hand. Our God is a God who can take the most evil and heinous of acts and redeem them for our good and His glory. How good is it to know, the God and Creator of all things is ruling and reigning over all that happens! – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

            Lastly, “…the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Currently truth in our culture seems like a carnival of mirrors. If you look at truth in a certain mirror it looks short and fat but if you turn and look at it over in a different mirror it looks long and skinny. No matter where you turn truth is being distorted and twisted and sometimes it is difficult for us to see what is actually true. The word of God is like pure and cleansing water for the eyes of our heart. It washes away the dirt and clarifies all that is true. God’s word shows us the lies and distortions of the world and our sin and frees us from their grasp on our hearts. - “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:32)

            Jesus told the woman at the well, “…the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” For those that love Christ you have been given His Spirit and He has made you alive to worship Him, and by His power through His word He has given you the truth to fuel this life of worship. So come this week ready to meet with your brothers and sisters to worship. Come with the fuel of God’s word in your heart and mind that His Spirit might fan it into a burning inferno in your soul of worship for Him – for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.   

The Overflow of Worship

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)

            We have now come to a major turning point for the life of the prophet Isaiah. In 7 short verses Isaiah has been shown the awe invoking majesty and holiness of God on the throne, the utter depravity of his own soul, and the cleansing forgiveness and mercy of God our Savior. Can you even begin to imagine what Isaiah must be thinking or feeling at this moment? He stood, just moments before, condemned in his sin to a justly deserved death, but now, due to nothing he has done, he stands forgiven, cleansed, and redeemed. However, the beauty of the gospel is that the story doesn’t stop here though many of us act like it does.

            As we think about the gospel, we oftentimes have the wrong end goal in mind. We tend to present and see the gospel as a tool to obtain the gifts of forgiveness, justification, adoption, etc. the gospel brings but we miss the ultimate reason the gospel is defined as “good news.” While all of the gifts may be good things by themselves, if they are the end goal they have fallen very short of the ultimate good of the gospel – God. John Piper in his book God is the Gospel says it this way –

“If the hearers of the gospel do not see the glory of Christ, the image of God, in all the events and gifts of the gospel, they do not see what finally makes the gospel good news…Until the gospel events of Good Friday and Easter and the gospel promises of justification and eternal life lead you to behold and embrace God himself as your highest joy, you have not embraced the gospel of God. You have embraced some of his gifts. You have rejoiced over some of his rewards. You have marveled at some of his miracles. But you have not yet been awakened to why the gifts, the rewards, and the miracles have come. They have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God in Christ, and by beholding become the kind of person who delights in God above all things, and by delighting display his supreme beauty and worth with ever-increasing brightness and bliss forever.”

            When we make the gifts and reward the goal we end up making them gods instead of allowing them to point us to God. Forgiveness, eternal life, and justification are all great things, but what makes them great? Our forgiveness is great because it is forgiveness for our great sins against an infinitely holy God. We want eternal life, but is it so we can spend it by ourselves or whoever we want, or so that we can spend it with God? Justification becomes vastly more glorious when we see that our guilt has been removed before such a righteous judge. This is good news. This is the gospel! How amazing and awesome is our God! Who wouldn’t want to know this God?

            It is easy to understand why mission seems so foreign to us when we see salvation as a selfish grasp at gifts for ourselves, but when the reality of the true good of the gospel sinks in, the power it unleashes is unstoppable. When we are able to truly see the glory of God in Jesus Christ there is a passion and joy that is awakened that can’t be explained or quenched. God’s glory revealed to us in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf stirs in us a delight in Him, and this delight isn’t one that can be held in, it wants to go out. Mission is the overflow of our worship.

            Isaiah’s response to God’s question in verse 8 isn’t an obligatory acceptance of the inevitable; it is a joyful exclamation of worship and fulfillment to his desire. Isaiah has finally seen the wonder and beauty of His God and it is overflowing in him. Infinite amounts of grace, love, goodness, and glory are begin poured into Isaiah’s heart as God reveals Himself and atones for Isaiah’s sin. Where will Isaiah direct this overflow? It is too good to go to waste. God is ready and presents the answer to him – go!

            This same infinite love and grace and has been poured into our souls. We have been given the good news of God. He is not far from us but has come near in Jesus and by His blood. We are always carrying in ourselves the infinite glory of God. We have not come to the end of Him. His glory, His grace, His love, and His forgiveness are as eternal and vast as He is. It is always overflowing from us and our delight in Him should be ever increasing. So what do you do with this passion and joy in the good news of our God? Go!

            Today you woke up with realities of eternal life, true love and ultimate forgiveness residing in your heart and soul, but the greatest news is that all of those come from an infinitely good and powerful God that through His Spirit resides with you as well. You now go to work, eat lunch, raise your kids, study for school, etc. along with the Spirit of the Living God. In you and with you resides the power of God, the gospel. The good news that we have an infinitely holy God, who knows our terrible and awful sin, but has chosen to save us and bring us back to Himself by the death of His own Son is now overflowing in you. So go this week and every week on knowing that you have not just been given a gospel of salvation from your sins but a salvation to God. Then let that good news spill from you wherever you go. And come Sunday to be reminded again of this great gospel - the good news that God has come in Jesus to bring us back to Himself. Go!

Pretend, Perform, or Praise?

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.” (Isaiah 6:6-7 ESV)

            George Whitefield, the 18^th century itinerant preacher and evangelist was once recorded telling this – “I’ll tell you a story. The Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1675 was acquainted with Mr. Butterton the [actor]. One day the Archbishop . . . said to Butterton . . . ‘pray inform me Mr. Butterton, what is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?’ ‘Why my Lord,’ says Butterton, ‘the reason is very plain. We actors on stage speak of things imaginary, as if they were real and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.’” It’s amazing to me that a story from hundreds of years ago can still be so relevant today. We walk around questioning the authenticity of people’s stories including our own because as we examine our lives and those around us we aren’t convinced by what we see. While the Christian confession may be leaving our lips, the heartfelt conviction in our hearts and lives don’t seem to line up. We aren’t good actors. We seem to be speaking and living as if the real things of the gospel are just imaginary.

            From the moment of our conversion there is an understanding of 3 different things – the holiness of God, the sinfulness of our hearts, and the work of Jesus on the cross to bridge that gap. As we grow in Christ all of these pieces should be growing in our hearts. A greater understanding of the holiness of God should lead us to a greater understanding of our sin, which should expand the gap the cross of Christ spans. This leads us to pursue this God who has loved us so greatly, and in our pursuit of Him we discover more of His holiness and so the process above continues. Our understanding of the gospel should be ever increasing, and so our lives should be ever increasing in thanksgiving and praise to a God who saved us. The gospel should be enhancing the reality in which we, and those around us, live, but for many it still seems imaginary.

            In his study, The Gospel-Centered Life, Bob Thune gives some insight into why it seems imaginary sometimes. He says that often times we either try to pretend or perform. As we grow in our understanding of the gospel we are given the most realistic picture of our sinfulness, and so rather than let people see that we are unbelievably broken we pretend that everything is good. We pretend that we have it all together. Our growth in the gospel also leads us to see God’s holiness, but instead of seeing it as something that has been given to us through Jesus, we change it into standard God has set for us to reach through our own performance. Thune says we end up, “living life on a treadmill, trying to gain God’s favor by living up to His expectations (or our mistaken view of them).” But all of this acting drastically shrinks the cross.

            When we try to pretend we have it all together, we are trying to make everyone think that you aren’t as sinful as you actually are, and when you try to perform for God you minimize the holiness of God by thinking that you can impress Him with your “right living.” Either way you shrink the gap that the cross must cover to make you acceptable in the sight of God. No wonder the world and everyone around us often thinks that what we believe is imaginary. The story we are trying to sell and act for them is! When in reality we are actually more sinful than we could ever imagine, but we are also more loved than we could ever dream.

            As we come to Isaiah in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 6 we don’t find a man who is pretending that he has it all together or who is trying to perform to show his righteousness. What we find is a man who is at this moment fully aware of the holiness of his God and his utter sinfulness before Him, and that is what makes these verses so beautiful. The reality is that at this moment Isaiah should have been utterly wiped from the face of the earth before such a just and righteous God, but instead our God is a merciful and gracious God who atones for Isaiah’s sin. God’s angel goes to the altar, the place of sacrifice, and takes from it this holy coal to touch Isaiah and so show him that his sins were atoned for. He was forgiven.

            As Christians, we have come face to face with the reality of the holiness of our great God and our woeful sinfulness, but like Isaiah we don’t face wrath for our sin. Instead we get atonement. The holy coal from the altar did not harm Isaiah but it healed him. In the same way, from the sacrifice of Jesus at the altar of God, the Holy Spirit has come and touched our hearts and healed us. How amazing! How incredible! We have been forgiven. We have been shown love, grace, and mercy. Our sins have been atoned for!

            Our story and our lives as Christians should be the most real and convincing story around and every Sunday should be a new climax in that story as the wonder and beauty of the gospel continues to increase. We gather every week to proclaim and praise the excellences and mercies of our God because we no longer have to pretend or perform. The gospel has come to remove the mask not to put it on. Sunday should be the most real of days as we and all of our brothers and sisters gather around us with no acting or façade, but rather authentic adoration and praise for the God who has saved us all. We don’t have to convince anyone of our greatness; instead we get to invite everyone to behold His. Stop pretending. Stop performing, and instead come and praise!

Fly!

Run, John, run, the law commands, 

But gives us neither feet nor hands. 

Far better news the gospel brings: 

It bids us fly and gives us wings.

John Bunyan???

Run, John, and work, the law commands,

yet finds me neither feet nor hands,

But sweeter news the gospel brings,

it bids me fly and lends me wings!

John Berridge

A rigid matter was the law,

demanding brick, denying straw,

But when with gospel tongue it sings,

it bids me fly and gives me wings

Ralph Erksine

These three little poems do not set the Law of God against the Gospel of God. Instead, they reveal just how good the Good News is. It is exceedingly and abundantly good, for even though both come with commands to follow, only one actually empowers us to comply.

In his first letter to the church, Peter writes instructions for the church to follow (1 Peter 1:13-25) – put your hope fully in Christ, turn from your former desires, be holy, conduct yourselves fearfully and love one another earnestly. Without Jesus these words would just be another law to follow and fail. The beauty of the Gospel is that by its regenerating work in us, what the law was powerless to do, God has enabled through Jesus. Now we can do the very things that without Christ would have been impossible before, so stretch out your wings and fly.

59 One Anothers

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a
sincere brotherly love,love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 Peter 1:22 (ESV) 

Fifty-nine times the New Testament Scripture calls us to do something toward one another, meaning the church family. Serve one another, forgive one another, and submit to one another are just a sampling of these. But, it seems the most repeated "one another" command given in the Scripture is to love one another.

I think this is because, at least in part, we need to be reminded of this. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ in the same way that we have been loved is totally new to us. We have been loving ourselves over everyone else for years. We have considered love an emotion most of our lives. But to love one another sacrificially, actively, and unconditionally and willfully - that is new. The only reason we can love one another this way is because God has enabled us to do it. Of course, we need to be reminded regularly to love one another and we will need to be reminded until Jesus comes back.

But primarily I think the reason this particular command is repeated more than the other “one another” commands is that it is required if we are going to carry out the others. To forgive one another is an act of love towards one another; so is serving one another in the same way we have been served. And, to submit to one another (to give up my own will for another’s best interest) demands that I love that person.

When we love one another sincerely and earnestly from a pure heart as Peter calls us to in his letter, I am pretty well convinced the other “one another” commands will come naturally. In addition, the watching world will be given the treat to see God’s Gospel on display among His people.

Below is an infographic I found at overviewbible.com that will give you a fuller picture of these "one another" commands. I pray it will prove helpful as you strive to love one another.

Who Am I?

We will likely never fully comprehend the full beauty of the Gospel. To consider that God has chosen us before the foundation of the world according to His own foreknowledge of us, truly is beyond my own limited capability. To somehow imagine the depths of my sin being forgiven and the riches of God’s grace and mercy replacing it seems too much to wrap my mind around. To think of myself and my brothers and sisters in Christ in the terms that God has used to refer to us is in and of itself a discipline that requires practice. It is so much easier to consider myself from my own perspective. Or to determine who I am based on what everyone other than God says about me rather than resting in His all-knowing, eternal, and sovereign view.

So, I remind myself regularly, from passages just like the one we have been studying in 1 Peter – consider again who God says you are, remember with me who He says we are …

1 Pet 1:1-21 –

• Chosen by the Father – he picked you.
• Foreknown by the Father – before you were, He knew you personally, intimately, lovingly
• Exiles – outcasts in the world because we belong to Him
• Sanctified by the Spirit –  cleansed, purified, set apart, made holy by God’s work
• Sprinkled by the blood of Christ – He atones for our sin, by His death we are made clean.
• Recipients of Great Mercy – deserving of judgment and condemnation but it has been relieved
• Born Again -  recipient of new life, spiritual and eternal life
• Beneficiary of God – He has given us and guaranteed us an eternal inheritance
• Protected by God – His eternal power is shielding us even in the midst of difficulty
• Saved – we are safe, there is nothing that can truly harm us ever again
• Served by God – He has served us in salvation, not the other way around
• Holy – we may be exiles in the world, but we are set apart to be members of His Kingdom
• Children of God – we are more than citizens of the Kingdom we are the adopted children of the King.
• Ransomed – purchased at a price, we are a people that He valued and now possesses. He created us and then even had to buy us in order to free us.

We may not be able to comprehend it fully. We may not even be able to explain it as well as others, but there is no doubt that what God has done gives us great reason to rejoice (1 Peter 1:6). Remember, who He says you are; it is the source of your joy, your peace, your satisfaction and contentment as you wait for Him.

In this we rejoice!

Gospel Doctrine a Solid Foundation

Doctrine matters. Theological views matter. This of course like everything else is debated within the church and even by onlookers to the church. But, the fact that this is a debated view demonstrates that doctrine matters. Holding that doctrine or theology doesn't matter is in and of itself a doctrinal perspective. We all believe certain things about God: who He is, if He exists, and if He does what He is up to in the world.

The question isn't do we have a theological view; instead it is -- what is our theological view? We all have one. Atheists and Agnostics depend on a theological view in the same way that Christians do. Their lives are lived in light of their view of God in the same way Christians make life decisions in the light of their view of God and His work on their behalf.

This is why it is so important to take time to study and know what God's Word reveals. This why to be healthy a healthy church must build our view of God and His work in the world on the Scriptures and not what feels good in our gut or makes sense to the world but what God has said He is doing. Gospel doctrine (the work that God has done to save us and our response to it) is foundational to the health of the church.

Peter understood this. It is obvious as he writes his first letter to the church. He fills the opening verses full of Gospel doctrine. Then, every word that follows the introduction is founded on what he has already written. He knows for the church to endure, function and fulfill its purpose they must be standing on the rock of Gospel doctrine.

Gospel Doctrine is often considered in terms of a logical flow of God's work and our response. This is called the Ordo Salutis, a latin term that simply means the Order of Salvation. In the protestant view there are two major perspectives, one emphasizes man's role alongside God in our salvation the other emphasizes God's work to save man and man's response to God's work. I believe Peter's view, as represented in 1 Peter 1:1-5, emphasizes the latter. I have attached an infographic that I think will help illustrate this further. Let me encourage you to study 1 Peter 1:1-5 - is the process depicted in this image demonstrated in those verses?

Election God's Choice

"God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, 'O Lord, Thou knowest.' Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints." A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God

It has been some time since I read this book by Tozer, so I was grateful to have come across this quote in my newsfeed this week; especially having just preached on God's sovereign work in salvation this past Sunday. It is a good reminder that we are not more acceptable to God based on our own depth of knowledge or our ability to fully comprehend eternal truths. I am grateful that God does know.

However, don't misunderstand the quote. In its context Tozer is not telling us to not investigate or appreciate the eternal doctrines of God. Instead he is warning us not to become so preoccupied with them that we lose sight of the great God they point toward. While that warning is important in some contexts. The opposing warning is just as necessary in ours -- don't ignore the deep and eternal doctrines of God simply because we can't understand them fully. Because in them, we are introduced to the God worthy to be praised with our words, honored with our actions, and loved with our whole beings.

We are all theologians. As His creation, we can't help but hold theological perspectives. Even atheists and agnostics have a theological view. Their views are based on experience and individual perspectives, but it is a theological view none the less. As saints (people who have been made holy by God) it should be our desire to hold a theological perspective based on the Scriptures (God's revelation of Himself and His work in the world). So, while we will not fully comprehend it, we shouldn't ignore any biblical doctrine.
To that end, I post this hoping to encourage you to explore the Scriptures to learn and come to know the Creator who chose to be your Savior more deeply. After all, knowing Him is truly where a healthy church finds its roots.

4 Views
Anyone that studies the Bible for any amount of time has to come to some understanding of the doctrine of election. Ignoring it doesn't change that it is thoroughly presented from Genesis through Revelation. A few Scriptures that teach this doctrine as it pertains to Christians are -- Romans Chapters 8 and 9; Ephesians Chapters 1 and 2; 1 Peter Chapters 1 and 2

That being said there are 4 basic historical views that have been held; two of which have been demonstrated to be heretical views that oppose God's doctrines of salvation and therefore are not compatible with Christian belief.

Universalism (heresy) -- the heresy that God chooses to save everyone in spite of their rejection of Him. This position holds ultimately that all will eventually choose God. Obviously, Scripture demonstrates clearly that not everyone makes it to heaven. People will die and spend eternity condemned as a result of their rejection of God. This shouldn't bring us pleasure nor indifference. This is a real problem with a real answer -- His name is Jesus.

Pelagianism / Semi-Pelagianism (heresy) -- Pelagianism is the view that mankind does not carry the stain of sin in our nature. Therefore, we need no help in choosing to do good or evil. We are completely free to make these determinations. Semi-Pelagianism is a softened view of this doctrine. However, both would demonstrate that mankind partners with God in salvation and that God will not act without the willful choice of a person to turn towards Him. The great danger with this view is that it requires that we earn salvation by doing the work of finding and believing God ourselves before He acts on our behalf. In addition it subordinates God to being our assistant and us directing God's actions. Obviously, scripture teaches against this -- Romans 3

Conditional Election -- the view that as a result of a common grace God has provided to everyone (prevenient grace) all people have been empowered by God to believe if they so desire. God then chose before the foundation of the world those He knew would believe in Him as a result of His prevenient grace and who would reject his offer of salvation. The strength of this doctrine is that it seeks to defend a Biblical view that salvation through Jesus has been made available to everyone. However, the great difficulty is that the perspective held for this view of prevenient grace is very difficult to defend biblically. Without prevenient grace this view becomes semi-pelagianism. If a person chooses to hold this view, they must ensure that there is reason to believe that God's grace given to a person prior to their confession of faith is not the same grace that ultimately brought that person to faith.

Unconditional Election -- This view is that God chooses some to be saved not because He is obligated to choose or because anyone deserves to be chosen but as an act of His sovereign grace and mercy. In choosing some, He passes over others not because they are more deserving or more sinful but simply as an act of His sovereign justice and righteousness. This view emphasizes that salvation is truly and completely God's work and that mankind are simply recipients of His benevolence. This view does not deny that salvation is truly available to all, but recognizes that because we are all sinners and that no one seeks God (Romans 3 10-18) if God had not sovereignly chosen to save some then none would have been saved.

This final view is the view held by your Pastors. We believe it, after much study, to be the most bibically sound. We understand it raises questions and builds in tension. We recognize with Tozer that we will not fully or completely understand. So we stand grateful that God knows. In addition it is not a view that we expect everyone to adhere to or agree with us in. But, we desire to extend grace and allow room for discussion with those who would hold their views in light of the Scripture.

For Further Study
Wayne Grudem -- Election and Reprobation -- a very pastoral handling of this doctrine. Answers many of the objections that people struggle with.
MP3 part 1 MP3 part 2 Outline for MP3's - 012708.pdf

Roger Olson -- Election is for Everyone -- Roger Olson holds a Conditional Election view -- this article is helpful because it demonstrates just how deeply this doctrine runs through Scripture and demonstrates that no matter how you approach salvation from the Bible you must deal with this doctrine.

Ernest Reisinger -- Election Stated and Defended -- thoroughly explains the doctrine of election and its implications.

John Piper -- Five Reasons to Embrace Election