The Old Testament book Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon near the end of his life. Solomon is about to pass off the scene, so he passes on words of wisdom to help others avoid the same mistakes he made.
The teaching of Ecclesiastes essentially is this: Any life not centered on God is a waste. Without God, wisdom is a waste, work is a waste, riches are a waste, pleasure is a waste. Without God, these things aren’t worth a lick! They serve no point! They are absolutely meaningless!
But that’s not all that’s meaningless. Consider what Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:7-12:
Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless— a miserable business!
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Here is the picture of a man who has no friend. He continues to pile up profits, but there is no one with which to share the rewards of his labor. Friendlessness makes life futile. How much better it is to have a partner and friend who can assist (v.10), warm (v.11), and protect (v.12). Three friends together form an even stronger bond (v.12).
Of course Jesus Christ is the greatest Friend of all. And the more we imitate Him, the better friends we’ll be to others. It has been said that the best vitamin for making friends is "B1."
In his book, Acts of Love, David Jeremiah shares F. W. Borham’s analogy of friendship – one of the best I’ve ever read:
The highest art in dominoes lies in matching your companion’s pieces. Is he glad? It’s a great thing to be able to rejoice with those who rejoice. Is he sad? It’s a great thing to be able to weep with those who weep. It means, of course, that if you answer the challenge every time, it won’t be long before your dominoes are gone. But it is worth remembering that victory in dominoes does not lie in accumulation, but in exhaustion. The player who is left with empty hands wins everything.
As a pastor, I am truly thankful for those in our church who truly befriend others with the love of Christ. There is no way I could possibly meet the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of everyone in our congregation. But I know men and women who, often behind the scenes, write that encouraging note ... make that extra meal ... run that helpful errand ... give that needed hug ... offer that needed prayer.
This is what the body of Christ is all about. As Bill and Gloria Gaither exclaimed, "I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God!"
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Blessing of Being Forgiven
Today's blog comes in response to a conversation I had with one Christian brother following this past Sunday's sermon on sexual purity.(To see the manuscript, go to http://www.fbcweymouth.org/images/10000/1000/383/user/PleaForPurity2.pdf. It does not include a few of the anecdotes I included in the audio version of the sermon, but it gives the gist of the sermon.) This brother shared with me that some believers might be overcome with guilt in relation to sexual sin -- that even though they've repented of it, they fall back into it, or at least emotionally they can't seem to "forgive themselves."
I understand this dilemma and realize that many believers have struggled with it. At the Sunday night prayer meeting, I told those who were gathered that nowhere in Scripture do we find any command to forgive ourselves. God forgives sinners, and we forgive others, but there is no verse that talks about us forgiving ourselves. My guess is that the real issue for people who are truly repentant is that they have failed to grasp the awesome wonder of God's forgiveness. For such folks I offer three points of encouragement regarding forgiveness, each point being taken from the second half of 1 John 1:7: "The blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanses us from all sin."
1. The Cost of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Our sin cost the Son of God His very life, for "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The sacrifice had to be without spot and without blemish; therefore Jesus is the only One who qualified (see Hebrews 10:1-4, 11-14). Like the old hymn says:
What can wash away my sin? – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again? – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
2. The Continuance of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." The text does not say "did cleanse" or "shall cleanse," but "cleanses." The forgiveness we have in Christ isn’t a past experience or future hope; it is a present reality, a privilege that is ours today; a joy that is ours this very hour! The moment a sinner trusts in Jesus, he is fully forgiven. Daily sins need to be confessed for the sake of our fellowship with Christ, but not our abiding relationship with Him. Why is this? Because our forgiveness rests on His work, not ours ... His righteousness, not ours ... His grace, not our goodness. This leads us to a third and final point to consider:
3. The Completeness of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." The great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said: "The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is gone at once, and all gone forever. Blessed completeness! What a sweet theme to dwell upon. . . ." – While I was praying through this text (1 John 1:7), I heard on my CD the tune to the words:
My sin--O the bliss of this glorious thought--my sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bare it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
If you have truly repented of any known sin and are still experiencing guilt, give it to God. Remind yourself from Scripture that His grace is greater than your sin. (We must never minimize our sin or the depth of our depravity. Rather, we should acknowledge and rejoice over the wonder of God's love and grace.) Trust the unchanging facts of God's Word over your own ever-shifting feelings.
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity." -- Psalm 32:2
I understand this dilemma and realize that many believers have struggled with it. At the Sunday night prayer meeting, I told those who were gathered that nowhere in Scripture do we find any command to forgive ourselves. God forgives sinners, and we forgive others, but there is no verse that talks about us forgiving ourselves. My guess is that the real issue for people who are truly repentant is that they have failed to grasp the awesome wonder of God's forgiveness. For such folks I offer three points of encouragement regarding forgiveness, each point being taken from the second half of 1 John 1:7: "The blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanses us from all sin."
1. The Cost of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Our sin cost the Son of God His very life, for "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The sacrifice had to be without spot and without blemish; therefore Jesus is the only One who qualified (see Hebrews 10:1-4, 11-14). Like the old hymn says:
What can wash away my sin? – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again? – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
2. The Continuance of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." The text does not say "did cleanse" or "shall cleanse," but "cleanses." The forgiveness we have in Christ isn’t a past experience or future hope; it is a present reality, a privilege that is ours today; a joy that is ours this very hour! The moment a sinner trusts in Jesus, he is fully forgiven. Daily sins need to be confessed for the sake of our fellowship with Christ, but not our abiding relationship with Him. Why is this? Because our forgiveness rests on His work, not ours ... His righteousness, not ours ... His grace, not our goodness. This leads us to a third and final point to consider:
3. The Completeness of Our Forgiveness
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." The great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said: "The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is gone at once, and all gone forever. Blessed completeness! What a sweet theme to dwell upon. . . ." – While I was praying through this text (1 John 1:7), I heard on my CD the tune to the words:
My sin--O the bliss of this glorious thought--my sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bare it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
If you have truly repented of any known sin and are still experiencing guilt, give it to God. Remind yourself from Scripture that His grace is greater than your sin. (We must never minimize our sin or the depth of our depravity. Rather, we should acknowledge and rejoice over the wonder of God's love and grace.) Trust the unchanging facts of God's Word over your own ever-shifting feelings.
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity." -- Psalm 32:2
Monday, June 4, 2007
Yearning for Genuine Spirituality
In John 4:24, Jesus said that the Father is seeking true worshipers, those who worship Him "in spirit and truth." Finding Christians and churches that incorporate both elements into their worship experience is becoming an increasingly greater challenge. It seems that people have a "zeal but not according to knowledge," or they have full heads with cold, unfeeling hearts. Yet God wants us to love Him with all our soul and with all our mind (not to mention with all our heart and strength) -- i.e., the totality of our being!
Joel Beeke has written an excellent article on the essence of true "experiential Christianity." It bears the title that appears at the top of this blog posting, and I print the article here for your consideration and edification. . . .
Spirituality is a subject much on the minds of people today. With its prevailing secularism and materialism, modern culture has failed to satisfy its consumers. Many are coming to realize the truth of what Moses said to the children of Israel, “Man doth not live by bread only” (Deut. 8:3). With Christ in His Sermon on the Mount, they ask, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?” (Matt. 6:25). The result is a new interest in discovering and nurturing the inward, spiritual dimensions of human life.
The cultivation of a spiritual life has been addressed in different ways by different Christian traditions. Roman Catholicism has offered a spirituality of ritualism and sacramental administration, and, alternatively, the disciplines of monastic life and the pursuits of mysticism. The Wesleyan Methodist tradition, the Holiness movement, and, more recently, Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement have offered a spirituality with less ceremonial or intellectual content and a great deal more emotion and subjectivism.
The problem with much spirituality today is that it is not closely moored in Scripture and too often degenerates into unbiblical mysticism. In contrast, Reformed Christianity has followed a path of its own, largely determined by its concern to test all things by Scripture and to develop a spiritual life shaped by its teachings and directives, which, in turn, is buttressed by biblical doctrinal standards. Reformed spirituality is the outworking of the conviction that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). In dependence on the Holy Spirit, it aims to achieve what John Murray called “intelligent piety,” wedding scriptural-doctrinal knowledge and heartfelt piety. Of the preachers, scholars, and writers who fostered this kind of biblical spirituality, none have excelled the English Puritans and their contemporaries in Scotland and the Netherlands. Their legacy excels in basing all spirituality, experience, and affections on the Bible and supporting confessional standards.
The dual emphasis of nurturing both the mind and the heart is sorely needed today. On the one hand, we confront the problem of dry Reformed orthodoxy, which has correct doctrinal teaching but lacks vibrant, godly living. The result is that people bow before the doctrine of God without a vital, spiritual union with the God of doctrine. On the other hand, Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity offers emotionalism in protest against a formal, lifeless Christianity, but it is not rooted solidly in Scripture. The result is that people bow before human feeling rather than before the Triune God.
The best of Reformed spirituality emphasizes the experimental side of faith. Because experimental faith has to do with the actual process of conversion, it is a great help both to understanding the process itself and in determining just where an individual person may be in that process. It also helps put more emphasis on the fact that conversion involves a daily encounter with God through His Word and providence and is not limited to a one-time experience. Experimental faith helps explain, in terms of biblical truth, how matters do go (Rom. 7:14-25) and how they ought to go (Rom. 8) in the Christian life. Such faith applies to all the experience of the believer – as an individual and in all of his relationships in the family, church, and the world (Col. 2:6-7).
By publishing and distributing Puritan and Reformed writings that consider the experiential side of Christianity, we hope that a vibrant Reformed spirituality will make greater progress among the people of God.
P.S. You can check out the publications referred to by Beeke at www.heritagebooks.org.
Joel Beeke has written an excellent article on the essence of true "experiential Christianity." It bears the title that appears at the top of this blog posting, and I print the article here for your consideration and edification. . . .
Spirituality is a subject much on the minds of people today. With its prevailing secularism and materialism, modern culture has failed to satisfy its consumers. Many are coming to realize the truth of what Moses said to the children of Israel, “Man doth not live by bread only” (Deut. 8:3). With Christ in His Sermon on the Mount, they ask, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?” (Matt. 6:25). The result is a new interest in discovering and nurturing the inward, spiritual dimensions of human life.
The cultivation of a spiritual life has been addressed in different ways by different Christian traditions. Roman Catholicism has offered a spirituality of ritualism and sacramental administration, and, alternatively, the disciplines of monastic life and the pursuits of mysticism. The Wesleyan Methodist tradition, the Holiness movement, and, more recently, Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement have offered a spirituality with less ceremonial or intellectual content and a great deal more emotion and subjectivism.
The problem with much spirituality today is that it is not closely moored in Scripture and too often degenerates into unbiblical mysticism. In contrast, Reformed Christianity has followed a path of its own, largely determined by its concern to test all things by Scripture and to develop a spiritual life shaped by its teachings and directives, which, in turn, is buttressed by biblical doctrinal standards. Reformed spirituality is the outworking of the conviction that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). In dependence on the Holy Spirit, it aims to achieve what John Murray called “intelligent piety,” wedding scriptural-doctrinal knowledge and heartfelt piety. Of the preachers, scholars, and writers who fostered this kind of biblical spirituality, none have excelled the English Puritans and their contemporaries in Scotland and the Netherlands. Their legacy excels in basing all spirituality, experience, and affections on the Bible and supporting confessional standards.
The dual emphasis of nurturing both the mind and the heart is sorely needed today. On the one hand, we confront the problem of dry Reformed orthodoxy, which has correct doctrinal teaching but lacks vibrant, godly living. The result is that people bow before the doctrine of God without a vital, spiritual union with the God of doctrine. On the other hand, Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity offers emotionalism in protest against a formal, lifeless Christianity, but it is not rooted solidly in Scripture. The result is that people bow before human feeling rather than before the Triune God.
The best of Reformed spirituality emphasizes the experimental side of faith. Because experimental faith has to do with the actual process of conversion, it is a great help both to understanding the process itself and in determining just where an individual person may be in that process. It also helps put more emphasis on the fact that conversion involves a daily encounter with God through His Word and providence and is not limited to a one-time experience. Experimental faith helps explain, in terms of biblical truth, how matters do go (Rom. 7:14-25) and how they ought to go (Rom. 8) in the Christian life. Such faith applies to all the experience of the believer – as an individual and in all of his relationships in the family, church, and the world (Col. 2:6-7).
By publishing and distributing Puritan and Reformed writings that consider the experiential side of Christianity, we hope that a vibrant Reformed spirituality will make greater progress among the people of God.
P.S. You can check out the publications referred to by Beeke at www.heritagebooks.org.
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