Extraordinary Request and Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways in Ordinary Places

Recap: Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

In what was really the first half of what is turning out to be a two-part blog post, Extraordinary Request and Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways, I noted the extraordinary request that we see in Matthew 6:9–10, the beginning of the Lord’s prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

And I noted that this awesome request will come to pass. God’s name will indeed be hallowed in all the earth, his kingdom will come in its fullness, and his will shall certainly be done on earth as it is in heaven (Revelation 21:1–4). I then asked the questions: “What should we do in the meantime? What do we do in anticipation of that day? How do we participate in this glorious, inevitable reality?” The answer, that I suggested Scripture points us to is this: We should do ordinary things in ordinary ways.

We see this clearly in the relatively ordinary prayer requests in Matthew 6:11–13 that follow this initial extraordinary request:

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

In short, I concluded that:

through seemingly ordinary things (active dependence on God for physical and spiritual provision) in seemingly ordinary ways (seeking him in prayer and in the Word, and fighting sin through confession, repentance, forgiving others, and turning from evil), God makes us look more and more like his Son, Jesus. In this way, God works out this extraordinary request that his name would be hallowed, that his kingdom would come, and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And he will grant it in its fullness at Christ’s return.

Well if this is the ordinary stuff that we are to be doing? Where should we do it? By now you are probably not surprised to learn that it gets even more ordinary. Indeed, God wills that we hallow his name, usher in his coming kingdom and will on earth, by doing ordinary things, in ordinary ways, in ordinary places. Consider one of Paul’s letters.

 

Ordinary Places: The Household of Faith and Your Home

We’ve seen an epic request in the Lord’s Prayer, now consider one of the more epic openings to a book of the Bible. Does it get any more glorious and sweeping than Ephesians? Paul begins with nothing short of Spirit-filled praise in Ephesians 1:3:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…

Paul then goes on to unpack those spiritual blessings in one of the densest and richest sections of Scripture in the Bible. Paul heralds God’s sovereign, predestining love toward those he adopts into his family through his Son, Jesus. Just take a minute to read through Ephesians 1:3–14.

God’s love toward rebels and his sovereign plan of redemption to reverse the curse of sin and death is nothing short of breathtaking—anything but ordinary. To add to the grand content of this letter, Paul closes by exhorting us to “Put on the whole armor of God” in order to be fit for spiritual warfare. Through this gospel armor we are prepared to withstand the devil and fight against “cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11–12). Cosmic powers? Spiritual forces of evil? Heavenly places? Again, this is anything but ordinary.

With such a divine beginning and supernatural, cosmic end, the middle of this letter must be off the charts! Where would Paul have us live out our predestined identities? Where would he have us wage this warfare? We might be tempted to first think of some place wild and hostile to the gospel. Perhaps in a foreign country on mission or among the unreached? These seem fitting. Indeed, these are certainly places God will call some of us, and I pray he does so more and more for the sake of his name, the advance of the gospel, and the joy of all peoples. As we look in Ephesians, though, we find, sandwiched in between these extraordinary realities, some seemingly very ordinary instructions. Paul instructs us to work out this sovereignly predestined salvation that fits us to wrestle and overcome cosmic, spiritual forces of evil first and foremost in the household of faith and at home.

Paul says, given this awesome predestining love of God, you and I should therefore “walk with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” with all eagerness to maintain the unity God has given in the one body of the church (Ephesians 4:1–4). For us, this works itself out in our local church. That’s it. Be humble, gentle, and patient with one another, and by doing so, you will build the church up in love (Ephesians 4:16). Ordinary things. But, oh, it gets even more ordinary.

Given this cosmic spiritual warfare that we are in the midst of, Paul has this to say: “Wives, submit to you husbands, as to the Lord…Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church…Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 5:22, 25; 6:1). That’s it. As we rush headlong, fully armored, into battle against Satan and his demonic legions, the marching orders Paul gives us are to be Christlike to those in our household—our families. Imperfect husbands and imperfect wives, show Christlike love toward one another through self-sacrifice and humility in order to build one another up in the faith. And, children walk in humility before imperfect parents by obeying them. These are, normal, ordinary things, in ordinary ways, in ordinary places.

 

Conclusion

So, in the first half of this post we saw that God wills to bring about Matthew 6:9–10’s extraordinary request through seemingly ordinary things in seemingly ordinary ways. In such things and ways, God makes us look more and more like his Son, Jesus and ushers in his kingdom. And where will all of this work itself out in our lives? Ordinary places.

God will certainly call many of us to different contexts to live this out. He will sweep some of us up into his call to global missions and plop us down among an unreached people group of a completely different ethnicity and culture. I pray that he does this to more and more of us. But whether near or far, whether on mission in a foreign country or perpetually local, the primary place that God will have us grow in Christlikeness and participate in this awesome, inevitable reality of his coming kingdom will be among fellow believers in the local church and among our own families in our homes. Indeed, it is “through the church” that “the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10). God does this through ordinary things, in ordinary ways, in ordinary places. And again, in the end none of this is very ordinary at all.

An Extraordinary Request and Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Extraordinary Request

When you think of great prayer requests in Scripture, what comes to mind? Joshua’s request to God for the sun to stand still at Gibeon so Israel could rout their enemies? Jabez’s prayer for God to bless him and increase his borders? Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance in the face of the Assyrians? The options are endless. And at least a couple of these have been coopted as formulaic means for unlocking blessing in your life, which is probably not the wisest approach to them. But what other great requests? What about this request in Matthew 6:9–10:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Is this not the most earth-shaking request that could possibly be made?! Father, may your name be made holy in all the earth, and may your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. What an colossal request—that all the earth would recognize the holiness of God and that God’s kingdom would break out from eternity and break into creation, invading all of earth with God’s will!? This must be the greatest request in all of Scripture. Could this possibly happen? Will this actually happen? (Spoiler Alert) Yes. If you skip ahead to the end of your Bible, you will find this in Revelation 21:1–4:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Simply stunning. What, then, are we to do in the meantime? What do we do in anticipation of such an earth-shaking request? How do we participate in this coming reality now? What do we do? We do ordinary things in ordinary ways.

 

Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Given this awesome reality, given that we sit on this freight train called creation and time that is charging toward this extraordinary end, does it surprise you that I say we should busy ourselves with doing some very ordinary things? Well, just consider what follows this extraordinary prayer request in Matthew 6:11–13.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

This prayer, then, could sound something like this.

“Father, in light of this extraordinary, amazing request that your name will be hallowed in all the earth, that your kingdom and your will would come crashing into and cover the earth just like in heaven, will you

  • Provide my food for me today on my lunch break, and please give me something to eat for dinner too.
  • Also, help me to see, believe in, and depend on the life you offer in Jesus, the bread of life, when I go to the Word today.
  • And please forgive my sins. Especially for lashing out in anger earlier, and for caring too much about money, and for my self-absorption and pride that causes me to criticize and manipulate my wife (or husband), children, that guy I work with, and for my laziness, and for my obsession with everything but you.
  • Also, help me to forgive my wife (or husband), my coworker, my friend, that one guy who doesn’t like me very much, when they wrong me, and help me not hold a grudge like I am prone to do.
  • Also, God, please keep me from those things that tempt me so much—anger, lust, pride, coveting, spending too much time on social media. These things end up turning my heart toward evil.
  • So please, I’m asking that you would keep me from evil and the evil one who prowls around seeking to destroy me.”

What do we do in the midst of these extraordinary realities of the inevitable kingdom of God? (1) Depend on God for our ordinary, everyday physical and spiritual provisions, (2) confess and repent of sin, (3) forgive others’ sin, and (4) turn away from sin and evil in dependance on God. You could categorize these broadly as (1) depending on God to provide and (2) fighting sin.

These are some of the most basic, ordinary things we are called to do as Christians. Yet, this is God’s will in the midst of his coming kingdom.

 

God’s Will

(1) Depending on God to Provide

Depending on God for our daily physical and spiritual provisions is his will, because it indicates our belief and trust in his sovereignty, care, and sureness of his coming kingdom. Perhaps that’s why only a few verses later we read this in Matthew 6:31–33:

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

This is normal, ordinary dependence on God for daily physical food. But this is also, normal, ordinary dependence on God for spiritual food. John 6:29, 35:

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent… Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

We depend on God to provide our physical and spiritual needs. And then we actively go to the pantry and grab some cereal, and we actively come to Jesus in the Word and prayer in dependence that he will give us grace and mercy to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

(2) Fighting Sin

Depending on God in this way leads to God’s name being made holy in all the earth because his name is made holy in individual lives—your life. Depending on God in this way leads to his will being done on earth just as it is in heaven. And this dependence on God characterizes our fight against sin. First Thessalonians 4:3 begins this way:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification:

God’s will for your life is your sanctification. Now in this context, the specific sin in view is sexual sin, but this is a concept that applies to all sins. We depend on God’s grace and mercy for when we do sin. And so we actively confess and repent. And we depend on God to keep us from being tempted beyond our ability and to always provide of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). And so we use wisdom and actively seek to avoid and put up safeguards against the things that might tempt us. And we depend on God to keep us from evil and our adversary, the devil. So we actively renounce his ways and pray for God’s authority over him to come to bear on our lives. This is seemingly basic, ordinary Christianity. We depend on God and so we actively fight sin.

 

Conclusion

As Christians, we are aware of and participate in the most extraordinary realities. God’s eternal name, his kingdom, and his will shall all come to bear on this earth. Heaven will flood the earth, and God will dwell with us. And, God wills ordinary rhythmic disciplines of grace—active dependence on God for physical and spiritual provision, confessing of and repenting of sin, forgiving others’ sins, and turning away from evil—as one of the primary means to bring this about. I confess I was partly inspired to write this specific post because I have recently been listening to a new album called Ordinary Ways by John Guerra. In that album, Guerra hits on this very reality. One lyric in his song titled, “Thank You, Lord” is especially fitting:

Daily bread

Daily breath

Ordinary

Faithfulness

Christ in me

More and more

Let it be

Thank You, Lord

Through seemingly ordinary things in seemingly ordinary ways, God makes us look more and more like his Son, Jesus. In doing so, God grants this extraordinary request that his name would be hallowed, that his kingdom would come, and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And, what we’ll discover in the end, is that none of this is very ordinary at all.

Tell the Next Generation

Every time we share the gospel with a family member at a holiday gathering, with a neighbor while we’re mowing the lawn, with a stranger on our daily commute, or even with our own children at bedtime devotionals, we are heralding to them the deeds of our great God. In this way, we pass the gospel to another generation. In Psalm 44 we see this pattern. Psalm 44 begins this way:

Psalms 44:1—O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

This is how the gospel has perpetuated throughout the centuries: one generation telling the next. Indeed, the gospel is only ours to pass on to another generation because someone first passed it on to us—and someone passed it to them and so on and so forth. This is our gospel legacy. We have the privilege of passing on to the next generation the story of God’s greatest deed that he performed in the days of old in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we do this, we follow in the pattern that Psalm 44 describes.

 

Psalm 44 in Context

In Psalm 44, the Psalmist isn’t heralding the explicit gospel of Jesus Christ in the historical sense, due to the fact that Jesus had yet to walk the earth when this Psalmist penned these words. However, Psalm 44 does point to, anticipate, and prophetically prefigure the gospel of Jesus Christ. Did you notice the colon at the end of verse 1? That tells us that the Psalmist is about to describe the deeds of God that he is referring to. Consider those deeds.

Psalms 44:2–3 describe God’s deeds in the days of old, when God delivered the promised land to his people, the future kingdom of their nation, by routing all their enemies. God “drove out nations” before his people, and he “planted” his people. God “afflicted the peoples” but he set his people free. The psalmist sums all this up in salvific terms. His people did not “save” themselves, but God did by his own “right hand, [his] arm, and the light of [his] face.” Why? Because he delighted in them.

In light of this past grace of God, the Psalmist then raises up his petition for God to again save his covenant people. Indeed, he frames the entire rest of the Psalm, vv. 4–26, with a plea for God to work his salvation again: “You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!” (Psalm 44:4) and “Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

 

The Gospel in Psalm 44

This salvation that the Psalmist longs for, Christ fulfills. Jesus is the Israel that Israel should have been. Jesus secured for us the eternal kingdom—what the promised land pointed to. And he did it by being “rejected” in his people’s place (Psalm 44:9). He did it by becoming a “sheep for slaughter” (Psalm 44:11), by becoming “the taunt of [his] neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around [him]” (Psalm 44:13), even though he had “not forgotten [God] and [he] was not false to [God’s] covenant” (Psalm 44:17). He became the curse for us (Galatians 3:13). And God did not “abandon [his] soul to Sheol or let [his] holy one see corruption” (Psalm 16:10; cf. Acts 2:27–31). Therefore, in Christ, God helps us and redeems us because he delights in us as his people united to Christ (Psalm 44:26). This is the gospel, God’s greatest deed of salvation and redemption.

 

Telling God’s Greatest Deed of Old

So we still follow this same pattern of the Psalmist. We now tell of the greatest deed of old that God has done. God sent his Son, God incarnated, wrapped in human flesh, in order to save all who believe in him—to give them eternal life (John 3:16). He accomplished this in his perfect life, death, and resurrection. This is the deed we speak of when we share the gospel. This is what we pass on to the coming generation. And we herald this past deed of grace, the gospel of Jesus, with a view to and in anticipation of God’s future grace.

Because of what Jesus has done, and because of what he is still doing from the throne room in heaven, we endure the trials and reproach that this life throws our way, knowing that we are awaiting the heavenly city, the city that is to come, whose designer and builder is God (Heb 11:10; 13:14). We look to the day when we will see “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God”, when we will hear that clarion call: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3). This is what God’s greatest deed in the gospel of Jesus has secured for us.

 

Conclusion

We have the privilege of passing on to the next generation the story of God’s greatest deed that he performed in the days of old in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have heard this great deed from the generation before us, and we aim to pass it on to the next. We have heard, and we will tell. And we do it all with a view to eternity with God.

Something Greater than Jonah

In my most recent sermon, I preached through Mark 4:35–41—the narrative of Jesus calming the great storm. I pointed out that Mark intentionally shows that this entire event parallels Jonah’s own stormy experience in Jonah 1. Thus, Mark’s narrative of Jesus calming the storm fills out what Jesus proclaims about himself in Matthew 12:41: “Something greater than Jonah is here.” A question comes to mind: What exactly does it mean that Jesus is the one greater than Jonah?

I unpacked this reality some in the sermon, and I aim to unpack it more here. In short, when we dig into the relevant texts, we find that Jesus is the greater Jonah in two ways. First, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he prophetically proclaims God’s word of salvation through repentance in perfect obedience to God and with genuine, loving desire to see the lost come to salvation. Second, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he ensures that the prophetic word will have saving effect by willingly and obediently sacrificing himself for the sins of those to whom he preaches repentance. We arrive at this by looking at the parallels and contrasts between Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16, in their respective contexts. These parallels and contrasts between Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 sing forth this undeniable tune: Jesus is the greater Jonah. First, consider the parallels.

 

Greater Jonah: Parallels of Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 in Context

Word to the Gentiles

God instructs Jonah to take a prophetic word to Nineveh, the Assyrians—a Gentile people (Jonah 1:1–2). Likewise, Jesus is headed to minister in the region of the Gerasenes, a predominantly Gentile region (Mark 4:35; 5:1).

Great Storms

In both accounts, a great storm of wind and cresting waves threaten to sink the respective ships. In Jonah 1:4, “the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” In Mark 4:37, “a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling.”

Great Fear

Both the crew in Jonah 1:5 and Jesus’ disciples in Mark 4:35–41 react to the storm with fear.

Deep Sleepers

In the midst of these great storms, both Jonah and Jesus are sleeping and have to be awakened (Mark 4:38; cf. Jonah 1:5–6).

“Cease” the Storm

The mariners in Jonah 1:11–12 wonder how it is they can get the sea to “quiet down” or “cease” (κοπάζω). This is the very thing that Jesus causes to happen in Mark 4:39 where upon his command “the wind ceased (κοπάζω)”.

Immediate Halt to the Storm

Once the mariners in Jonah 1:15 hurl Jonah into the sea, the storm comes to an immediate halt. In Mark 4:39, at Jesus’ command, the storm likewise comes to an immediate halt.

“Great fear” of the Lord

Finally, and most compellingly, once the storm ceases in both narratives the witnesses are “filled with great fear” (The language in the original Greek shows a clear lexical connection: Mark 4:41—ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν; Jonah 1:16— ἐφοβήθησαν…φόβῳ μεγάλῳ). And that great fear in both accounts is fear of the LORD. In Jonah, “the men feared the LORD exceedingly” (Jonah 1:16), and in Mark, the disciples fear Jesus, the Lord, and wonder “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him” (Mark 4:41).

So the parallels are obvious. But the real payoff comes from noting the contrasts between these narratives in their wider contexts in light of these parallels.

 

Greater Jonah: Contrasts of Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 in Context

Jonah, the Reluctant, Disobedient Prophet of Repentance : Jesus the Willing, Perfectly Obedient Prophet of Repentance

Jonah flees the LORD in disobedience to his assigned prophetic task, which is to deliver God’s word of impending judgment to sinful, wicked Nineveh (Jonah 1:1–3, 10). Such a prophetic word implies the need to believe God and repent (Jonah 3:5). Jesus, on the other hand, obediently proclaims the word of the coming kingdom of God and repentance (Mark 1:14–15).

Jonah’s Helplessness to Stop the Storm : Jesus’ Authority to Stop the Storm

Jonah is helpless to stop the storm. And the storm only ceases when Jonah is passively sacrificed by being thrown into the sea. Jesus, on the other hand, causes the storm to cease by his perfect, divine authority.

 Jonah is Sacrificed to  Save Others from God’s Judgment Due to His Disobedience : Jesus Sacrifices Himself to Save Others from God’s Judgment Due to their Disobedience

In Jonah, the storm is God’s judgment due to Jonah’s disobedience. Thus, Jonah’s entire sacrifice to save others was in the context of judgment for his disobedience. Ultimately, Jesus too sacrifices himself to save others from God’s judgment. But unlike Jonah, Jesus saves others from God’s judgment due to their disobedience not his. Indeed, Jesus sacrifices himself (1) in perfect obedience to God, and (2) for the disobedience of those others.

Jonah Proclaims God’s Word but Cannot Effect Salvation : Jesus Proclaims God’s Word and Effects Salvation by his Work on the Cross

Jonah proclaims God’s prophetic word to Nineveh, but does nothing to grant their repentance or effect their salvation. Jesus proclaims God’s prophetic word to the lost, and by his sacrifice ransoms his people (Mark 10:45). He not only proclaims the word but he grants repentance and effects salvation through the cross and resurrection.

Jonah Begrudges Repentance of the Lost and God’s Mercy Toward Them : Jesus Loves the Lost and Generously Offers Repentance and God’s Mercy to Them

Jonah begrudgingly proclaims the word and grows angry when it leads to repentance (Jonah 4:1). Jesus, loves those he calls to repentance, and he generously distributes mercy to them and gives his life to save them (Mark 5:20; 10:21, 45).

 

Jesus is the Greater Jonah for our Joy

Thus, the contrasts between Jonah’s narrative and Mark 4:35–41 in light of the parallels point to this: Jesus is the greater Jonah. Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he prophetically proclaims God’s word of salvation through repentance in perfect obedience to God and with a loving desire to see the lost come to salvation. And, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he ensures that the word will have saving effect. He does so by sacrificing himself not for his own disobedience but for the sins and disobedience of others under God’s judgment. And just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so too was Jesus for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And as Jonah seemingly came back to life from a watery grave, Jesus truly rose to new life and did not see corruption. Now Jesus dwells in God’s joy-filled presence having secured the salvation of his people. And Jesus will bring his saved people back to God to experience that very same divine joy he enjoys now (Psalm 16:10–11; 1 Peter 3:18). What does it mean that Jesus is the greater Jonah? It means our perfect joy.

 

 

The Kingdom of God in Psalms from Beginning to End

God’s eternal kingdom and his eternal reign in Psalms is hard to miss. Consider:

Psalm 9:8— But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice…

Psalm 10:16— The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.

Psalm 45:7— Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

Psalm 47:8–9— For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

Psalm 95:3— For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 103:19— The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145:13— Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

And this is just a small sampling—a taste.

In light of this, have you ever noticed how Psalms begins and ends? Psalms literally begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. As we read with the grain of the Psalms, this wonderful reality moves us to praise our God who reigns forever.

 

The Beginning of Psalms

Psalm 1 and 2 are wildly recognized as the introduction to the book of Psalms, and therefore they should be taken together. Psalm 1 describes the righteous man who delights perfectly in God’s law. Psalm 1 begins with “Blessed is the man.” Psalm 2 describes God’s Son, his Anointed, the King, whom he has set on Zion to rule over the nations. Psalm 2 ends with “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” This intentional framing of Psalm 1 and 2 with promised blessing intends to reveal that the blessed man of Psalm 1 is God’s royal Son, the King in Psalm 2. Therefore, those who take refuge in this king, the righteous one will be blessed.[1]

 

Jesus is the Righteous Man of Psalm 1, the King of Psalm 2

We know this promised king to be Jesus, our resurrected Lord. The saints in Acts 4:23–31 recognized Psalm 2 to be about Jesus. And Peter in Acts 2 makes clear, that Jesus was the promised Son of David, the Messiah and King, who lives forever and sits at God’s right hand until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet (Acts 2:22–36; see Psalm 16:8–11; 110:1).

So Psalms begins with a proclamation of God’s eternal kingdom and his King who will reign from Zion, and all who take refuge in him will be blessed. Jesus is that King. Therefore, this prophecy is for us—we are those who have sought refuge in the King of Zion. Well, if this is how the Psalms begins, how does it end?

 

The End of Psalms

Psalms ends with five Psalms of praise to God for who he is and all his works throughout history (Psalm 146–150). David himself leads into these five Psalms of praise with this declaration in Psalm 145:1:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Psalm 149, then, begins to close out the entire book by picking up with where Psalm 1 and 2 left off. It exhorts “the assembly of the godly”, the saints, “the children of Zion” to “rejoice in their King” (Psalm 149:1–2), to “Sing to the LORD a new song” (Psalm 149:1). Who then are these saints? Who are these children of Zion? They are all those who took refuge in the blessed, righteous man of Psalm 1. They are those who took refuge in God’s King of Psalm 2, who sits “on Zion my (God’s) holy hill” (Psalm 2:6). They are those who have taken refuge in Jesus. So when God ultimately executes his justice on all his enemies and the enemies of his people at the return of Jesus the King, these godly ones are blessed and honored; therefore they praise the LORD (Psalm 149:9). Indeed, they are the redeemed who will stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion and sing “a new song” before the throne of God (Revelation 14:1–3; see Psalm 149:1).

 

Praise God

Psalms begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. Psalms lays out for us a royal roadmap. It reveals the trajectory of all of history. God has established his kingdom in his Son, the King, Jesus. Those who take refuge in him are and will be his children, children of Zion, when his kingdom comes in its fullness at Christ’s return. Until then, we sing and praise God our King now, just as Psalm 150 exhorts us to:

 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

 

Amen. Praise the Lord.

[1] See Jason S. DeRouchie, “Lect 19-Psalms” (Jason S. DeRouchie 2022: 6) at https://jasonderouchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lect-19-Psalms.pdf

Let Us Pray: Help in Prayer from D.A. Carson’s “Praying with Paul”

Praying can often be challenging in many ways. Simply finding time to pray once throughout the day can be elusive, let alone trying to find and establish a rhythm of prayer. We find our time in prayer comes in fits and starts and often looks random as opposed to regular and rhythmic. Then once we do start praying, we find that our mind tends to wonder to-and-fro to the point that we often can’t even remember what it is we’ve already prayed for or haven’t prayed for yet. What is the remedy? One very helpful and encouraging resource for building a regular rhythm of prayer in one’s life is D.A. Carson’s Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

The Introduction and first two chapters alone are a treasure trove of practical and biblical wisdom. First, Carson identifies the immense value of prayer. Then he offers some practical steps to help us start praying and to help us drown out the noise of everyday. And then he offers insight into building a biblical framework that helps guide our prayers. This practical wisdom helps eliminate distractions and the biblical wisdom informs and streamlines our prayers so that we pray in the Spirit, in accord with the heart of God as revealed by Scripture.

 

The Need for Prayer

We will not ever prioritize prayer or ever establish a rhythm of prayer in our lives if we do not recognize the immeasurable value of prayer. Carson notes, “The most urgent need of the church in the Western world is the need to pray.”[1] Carson acknowledges the swath of other areas the church needs to address and be prepared to respond to (Issues like overwhelming biblical illiteracy, cultural moral decay, the sexual revolution, the rise of cultural intolerance for those disagreeing with majority cultural virtues, unreached and unchurched people groups, etc.). However, he maintains “the one thing we most urgently need is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.”[2] And what is one of the primary ways in which we grow in our intimate knowledge of God? How do we know God better? We pray.

“One of the foundational steps in knowing God, and one of the basic demonstrations that we do know God is prayer—spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer.”[3]

So once we recognize its value, then the next natural step is to engage in the practice of prayer itself.

 

Practical Steps for Prayer

I once had a track coach who offered powerful wisdom for improving one’s running ability and speed. He could often be heard saying to us unfit, ailing, frustrated wannabe track stars, “Do you want to know how you become a better, faster runner? You run.” In chapter one, Carson makes much the same point with prayer. If we want to see improvement in our prayer lives, the first step is to pray. Or, to say it another way, we often struggle in prayer because we don’t pray regularly. Carson addresses this point specifically in this way, “Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.”[4] He then offers perhaps one of the simplest yet most profound pieces of wisdom with regard to prayer: “It is better to pray often with brevity than rarely but at length.”[5] The first step to improving our prayer life is to pray.

Carson then offers some simply practical steps to help eliminate distractions. Among these are: vocalizing prayers, praying through Scripture, making prayer lists to follow, journaling prayers, having a prayer partner, etc.[6] The takeaway from these suggestions is that there are practical steps we can plan to take along with good and wise practices that help focus our prayer efforts. Some will find different practices to be more beneficial than others. The key is finding what works for you.

 

Developing a Framework for Prayer

In chapter two, Carson urges us to develop a robust framework for our prayers. And as the title of his book suggests, he models this framework off of Paul’s prayers. Specifically, he models it off of Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 1:3–12. There, Carson points out that two elements make up Paul’s framework for his prayer:

  1. Thankfulness for signs of grace in the Thessalonians
  2. Confidence and hope in God’s coming reign at Christ’s return, and the justice it will bring

So, when we pray, we too should recognize the varying signs of grace that God has granted in us and our church family. And we make it a point to thank God for such gifts of grace. Such gifts could be increased faith, increased love, increased knowledge of God, growing maturity, perseverance in trials and suffering, people using their gifts to build up the body, confession and repentance, etc. When we recognize such graces, our instinct should be to thank God for them. As we develop this framework, we will likely find that we become more proficient at recognizing them. We will begin to identify God’s gifts of grace where before we might of looked right past them. So when we pray, we infuse our prayers with thankfulness for signs of divine grace.

And, when we pray, we pray with a view to and longing for the fullness of God’s kingdom that comes with the return of Jesus. We anticipate not just the joy that comes with his presence but also the justice that comes with the consummation of his kingdom. All wrongs will be made right. God will vindicate all his people, and God will exact retribution on all the enemies of him and his people. Saints have always fit their prayers into the reality that God will deliver vindication and justice for his people, whom he knows intimately. Think of David’s prayers to God in the Psalms (cf. Psalm 139, which we have recently memorized as a congregation). Therefore, when we pray, our prayers take on a tincture of hopefulness because Jesus will return. And so in our prayers we raise up this plea to heaven, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

 

Let Us Pray

We must recognize the value and need for prayer. With Carson’s help, we can find ways to plan for prayer and develop practices to eliminate distraction. And with Carson and Paul’s helps, we too can begin to develop and build a framework for our prayers that infuses them with thanksgiving and hope. When we pray, we commune with God, grow in our knowledge of him, thank him for his varied gifts of grace in our lives, and joyfully anticipate Christ’s return when he will right all wrongs. So the only thing left for us to do is to pray. So let us pray.

[1] D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), xi.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, xiii.

[3] Carson, Praying with Paul, xiii.

[4] Carson, Praying with Paul, 1.

[5] Carson, Praying with Paul, 2.

[6] Carson, Praying with Paul, 2–20.

The Heart of a Disciple

[I’ve adapted this post from a sermon on Mark 4:1–20 titled “The Mystery of the Kingdom” that I preached April 2, 2023]

Jesus is the “founder of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Jesus is both the savior and the model of our faith. He made us his disciples through the cross. And as his disciples, we seek to be with and be like Jesus. We seek to bear fruit just as he did. Thus, discipleship begins at the cross, and the heart of a disciple bears much fruit. What then does the heart of a disciple, the fruit bearing heart, look like?

In Mark 4:1–20, Jesus tells the parable of a sower and four different types of soils: (1) the path, (2) the rocky soil, (2) the thorny soil, and (4) the good soil. The sower sows the word of God and the different soils represent those who hear this word (Mark 4:14–20). The condition of the soil, that is, the condition of the hearts of those who hear, ultimately determines how the word is received and if it will produce fruit. While there are four different types of soils or hearts in the parable, there are really only two categories: hearts that do not produce fruit (the path, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil) and hearts that do produce fruit (good soil). In the heart of a true disciple, the word of God bears fruit (John 15:8). But what is the makeup or nature of this fruit bearing heart? By looking at the nature and condition of the three soils or hearts that do not produce fruit and asking the question, “What would be the opposite of this?”, we can determine the nature of good soil. That is, we can discern the defining marks of the heart of a true disciple of Jesus, a heart that bears the fruit of God’s word.

 

The Path

Mark 4:4—And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Mark 4: 15—And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

The picture of the trodden, hard-packed, impenetrable path is that of the hard-hearted man. He hears the word, and rather than sinking into his heart, it sits on the surface. It never breaks through. Satan easily walks along the paths of this heart and takes up the word. And as a result, there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What would be the opposite of this?

The heart of a true disciple of Jesus is a soft, tender heart. This heart lowers its defenses when the word is spoken, even if the word confronts deeply held notions, ideals, and values. This heart opens itself up to the truth of the word even if the word exposes sin, selfishness, and pride. The word pierces the heart of a disciple, and the gospel of Jesus sinks in deeply. In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

The Rocky Soil

Mark 4:5–6—Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

Mark 4:16–17—And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

The rocky ground represents those who hear the word of God and joyfully accept it. But the due to the condition and nature of this heart, the gospel doesn’t take deep root. Rather, the picture here joyful but shallow acceptance. The word is something that accessorizes this hearer’s life. It is helpful. It offers self-improvement. It’s something new and exciting. The hearer intellectually assents to it and enjoys its tight logic. But they only endure for a while. This is more literally translated “they are temporary.” Why are they and the word within them temporary? Because tribulation and persecution arises on account of what? The word. Suddenly the gospel that they enjoyed for its helpfulness is no longer helpful. It doesn’t seem to be leading to self-improvement but harm. Therefore they immediately fall away. Once the heat turns up on the hearer on account of the word whether socially, culturally, politically, etc., and they are out. Like a plant with no roots drying out under the scorching heat of the sun,  the word within this heart withers away when tribulation and persecution mount. And there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What would be the opposite of this?

The heart of a true disciple of Jesus does not shallowly accept the word. For the true disciple, the word, the gospel is not simply a trinket. The heart of a disciple does not see the word as a helpful addition to their life. For the disciple the word is not a therapeutic path to self-improvement. The true disciple does not merely intellectually assent to the word. Rather, the heart of a disciple hides the word deeply within and gives ample room for it to take root. For the disciple, the word is a part of the very fabric of who they are. The heart of a disciple is bound up in union with Jesus and his gospel. Jesus and his gospel are treasured as an identity, not simply admired as a personal accessory. Thus, a true disciple endures through tribulation and persecution on account of the word because it is not just what they have, it is who they are. In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

The Thorns

Mark 4:7— 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

Mark 4:18–19—And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

The thorns are those who hear the word and accept it, only to have it choked by the world. Specifically, these receive the word, but due to three things it never bears fruit: (1) the cares of the world, (2) the deceitfulness of riches, and (3) the desires for other things.

 

The Cares of the World

In this heart, the word ultimately succumbs to the cares and anxieties of this temporary age. While all hearts battle anxiety to a degree, these anxieties enter into this heart and supplant the word. The key here is that these cares concern “the world” or “this temporary age.” This heart seeks to continually vie for and maintain control of all aspects of this age, without looking to God’s sovereignty or the coming age of eternity. This age, this world, ultimately holds sway over the affections of this heart rather than the gospel and God’s eternal kingdom. And it leads to anxieties and cares on all fronts. The cares concerning the things of this world and this earthly life strangle the gospel, and there is no fruit.

 

The Deceitfulness of Riches

How are riches deceptive? Well, the word “riches” in Scripture is telling. “Riches” in the NT refers primarily to God and the treasure he offers in Christ rather than to earthly, material wealth (Rom 2:4, 23; 11:12, 33; Eph 1:7; 2:7; 3:8, 16; Phil 4:19; Col 1:27; 2:2–3; Heb 11:26; Rev 5:12). Our earthly, material understanding of riches, then, is really a twisted, counterfeit to the real thing. Earthly riches hold out the promise of security and happiness while true security and happiness are found only in the richness of God. The thorny heart embraces the deceitfulness of earthly riches, and the result is the word is choked. And there is no fruit.

 

The Desires for Other Things

Finally, the thorns are the desires, that is, the “lusts” the “cravings” for other things. If the first two thorns don’t cover everything, this last one certainly does. It’s a catch-all. This is every Satanic, evil, fleshly, worldly passion that James 1:14–15 says gives birth not to fruit of the Spirit, but fruit of the flesh—sin! These desires and lusts override the desire for God’s word, and they choke it out. And there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What is the opposite of this?

The heart of a disciple desires and embraces God’s sovereign rule over this age. Humility marks the heart of a disciple. When anxieties abound and threaten, this heart lays down it’s pride. As 1 Peter 5:6–7 instructs, disciples, “humble themselves under the mighty hand of God.” How? “By casting all their anxieties on him.” In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 The heart of a disciple desires God above worldly riches. The heart of a disciple finds the treasure of the gospel in a field and goes and sells everything to buy that field (Matt 13:44). The heart of a disciple considers reproach and rejection on account of Christ of greater wealth than all the treasure of Egypt. It is a heart that looks to the reward of God in eternity (Heb 11:26). In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 The heart of a disciple desires God above worldly riches. It desires God above worldly pleasures. The heart of a disciple seeks to “not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). It is a heart that has “crucified the flesh with its passions and desire” (Gal 5:24). It’s a heart that desires nothing more than to “be with Christ” (Phil 1:23). It’s a heart that desire to be in God’s presence where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

Conclusion

The heart of a disciple is a heart in which the word bears fruit. In that heart the word sinks deeply, hidden and guarded from the enemy, becomes an identity by establishing robust roots to endure, and is embraced, desired, and treasured above all the world has to offer. In that heart, the word bears much fruit. We can only do this because the founder of our faith did it first. As the Living Word, he cherished God’s word and was perfectly obedient to it even unto death. And like a grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies in order to produce a harvest, Jesus in his death bore abundant fruit (John 12:24). Discipleship begins at the cross, and the heart of a disciple bears much fruit, just as Jesus did. You, Christian, are a part of Christ’s harvest. Let us then follow in the footsteps of the founder of our faith. Let us have the hearts of true disciples that holdfast to the word and bear much fruit.

The Generosity of God

From the fountainhead of God’s generosity flows Christian, gospel generosity. That is, we are called to imitate God’s generosity by giving the gospel of Jesus to the world. I think the best way to grasp the depth of God’s generosity, is to first consider his greatness. So let’s consider God’s greatness, his great generosity in light of himself, and our call to imitate him.

 

Imitate God

In Ephesian 5:1, Paul issues this command: “Therefore be imitators of God…”. This leads to the inevitable question. How can we be like God? Well, when you consider God, what comes to mind? Currently, we as a church family are memorizing Psalm 139 together. In this Psalm, David reflects on some of the awesome attributes of God. So, let’s consider Psalm 139 along with some other passages.

 

God’s Greatness

Perhaps when you consider God, his perfect knowledge springs forth. David reflects on this:

 

Psalm 139:1–6—O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

 

Or, perhaps you think of God’s immensity. He is omnipresent, everywhere all at once. There is no place we can go that God is not there. Again, David observes:

 

Psalm 139:7–12—Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

 

Or, perhaps you can’t help but think of his awesome power as the Creator, who created all things (Genesis 1:1). Consider a passage from Jeremiah:

 

Jeremiah 10:12–13—It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

 

And, again, David considers this awesome power of God to create life while also acknowledging, in the same breath, that it is in God’s power to take life:

 

Psalm 139:13–14—For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

 

Psalm 139:19—Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!

 

God is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. There is none like him. And as our sermon text this weekend will make clear, God in all his knowledge, immensity, and power, well, he can do whatever he wants.

 

Psalm 135:5–6—For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

 

Given all of this, I ask again: How can we be like God? How can we be like God when there is literally, none like him? He has all knowledge. We don’t and never will (No matter how advanced our AI). He is everywhere at once. We can never be, though we might try on the regular. He has all power. Though we might like to think we have some power, if he has it all, we actually have none save what he gives us. And, in his greatness, God does whatever he pleases. Another impossible task for us. Even if we did have the ability to do whatever we pleased, it probably wouldn’t go over so well. How, then, can we be like God? Let’s look at again at Ephesians 5:1 and consider the context and how it points to God’s generosity.

 

God’s Generosity

Ephesians 5:1 fits into a context of wondrous generosity. Do you see it? “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Imitating God means being his children, his family. As children of God, there is a family resemblance. God’s children will look like him. In the immediate context of this passage, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). When Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be “imitators of God”, then, he is exhorting them to be who God made them to be. They should turn from sin and walk in the righteousness and holiness of God. And the same is true for us. As God’s loved children, we strive to look like our Father in righteousness and holiness. So indeed, we can imitate God in this way. But where’s this wondrous generosity I mentioned? Let’s dig deeper. How did we even become his children in the first place? Consider the next verse.

 

Ephesians 5:2—And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

This passage reveals another attribute of God: generosity. What does God do with all his freedom as the greatest being? God, in all his knowledge, in all his immensity, in all his power, in his perfect freedom, makes us, his lowly creatures and rebels against him, his children through the perfect love in the person of his Son, Jesus. And what was the nature of that love? Generosity. God reveals his love for us in the giving of Jesus, who “gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2) so that we could be God’s adopted, beloved children (Ephesians 1:5). This is the generosity of the gospel. And this generosity is multifaceted. Consider the generous gifts of God in the gospel of Jesus.

In the gospel, God gives us the gift of his very own Son, Jesus.

 

  • John 3:16—For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

  • John 4:10— If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.

 

In the gospel, God justifies us, lavishes on us righteousness, and gives us eternal life.

 

  • Romans 5:16–17—And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

 

  • Romans 6:23—For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

In the gospel, God gives us the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to Jesus, to remind us of his ways, and to empower us for gospel witness.

 

  • John 15:26—But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

 

  • John 14:26—But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 

  • Acts 1:8—But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

  • Acts 2:38—And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This list could go on and on, but the point is clear. God has been inconceivably generous to us.

Imitate God’s Generosity

So how do we imitate God? We, as Ephesians 5:1–2 suggests, act like God’s children. Certainly, then, we imitate God by being holy and righteous in our ways (Ephesians 4:24). But we also imitate God’s generosity. Indeed, this can look like generous giving out of our material resources, as Paul exhorts the Corinthians to do (2 Corinthians 8:9; 9:13–15). But, we also imitate God’s generosity by giving to others what he gave us to make us his children in the first place. God in all his knowledge, immensity, power, and freedom delighted to be generous to us. He made us his family by generously giving us the gift of the gospel through his Son, Jesus, by the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:34–35). God’s gospel generosity, then, sets us up to give to others the most generous gift we can: the gospel of Jesus. By giving ourselves up to the task of giving the gift of Jesus in the gospel to others, we love as Christ loved us. We love with a love marked by generosity. In this way, we imitate God.

 

Conclusion

From the fountainhead of God’s generosity flows Christian, gospel generosity. In all his greatness, God delighted to be generous to us. And, through his generous gift of the gospel, God has made us his family where we were once his enemies. Therefore, while we may not be able to imitate God’s divine attributes of knowledge, immensity, and power, we can imitate his divine generosity by passing on this gospel gift to others. This is the greatest act of generosity we can perform. This is who God made us to be, his generous gospel giving family. So let’s be like our Father and generously give the gift of Jesus to the world.

A Look at “The Gospel: How The Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ” by Ray Ortlund

How does rich gospel doctrine translate into rich gospel culture within the local church? What does that look like? In The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, Ray Ortlund seeks to answer this question. This book is part of the 9Marks series of books that aims to serve the local church by providing “theological” and “practical” books on a variety of local church-related topics.[1] The hope of the series is to “combine careful biblical examination, theological reflection, cultural consideration, corporate application, and even a bit of individual exhortation” (11). Ortlund’s contribution delivers on these very hopes. Here I offer a brief overview of (1) the purpose of the book and (2) its first three chapters.

 

Ortlund’s Purpose

Ortlund’s purpose for the book is explicit both in the title and the introduction. That is, Ortlund aims “to show how Christ puts his beauty into our churches” (19). He does this by digging deeply into the concept of “how the gospel can shape the life and culture of our churches so that they portray Christ as he really is, according to his gospel” (19). Ortlund’s book is helpful because it addresses a very real issue for local churches — translating gospel doctrine into gospel culture.

First, Ortlund orders priorities. That is, before a local church can ever have a rich gospel culture, it must first fully embrace rich gospel doctrine. This is because gospel culture is downstream from gospel doctrine. Gospel culture springs from gospel doctrine. Thus, if rich gospel doctrine is lacking, gospel culture will be lacking as well. Sure, the culture may be welcoming but ultimately, without gospel truth and right understanding, the culture will be, as Ortlund says, “sentimental and cowardly” (22). Such a church culture cannot stand against the winds of sinful, worldly culture. Rather, the secular cultural winds of the world will sweep up the gospel-doctrineless church culture so that, in the resulting swirl, church culture and secular culture become virtually indistinguishable. In other words, the church will look like the world. Ortlund sums it up simply: “Without the doctrine, the culture will be weak” (21). But the gospel is countercultural to our world. This is what makes it salty and illuminating. It is different. And as much as the world may tout acceptance and tolerance, it actually does not do ‘different’ or ‘countercultural’ very well. Indeed, it can be hard for a church to hold on to rich gospel doctrine in an increasingly hostile worldly culture. But it is vital. Our very faith depends on it. And, as hard as holding fast to gospel doctrine can be, as Ortlund points out, “it’s even harder to create a gospel culture” (22).

That’s right. It is possible to be a church that embraces orthodox gospel doctrine, but still have a culture that is decidedly gospel lite. In such cases, the culture actually reduces the gospel to merely an impersonal, intellectually stimulating pursuit. Such an approach that embraces only the knowledge of the head transmutes the gospel from the person of Jesus to mere propositions and definitions, effectively bankrupting it. Instead of treasuring the person of the gospel, Jesus Christ, we treasure only the assertions, propositions, concepts, etc. of the gospel. So, while the articulation of gospel doctrine might be on point, a church culture can end up wielding that doctrine like a sledgehammer, which is not ideal for building but excellent at demolition work. But the gospel does both. It tears down to build up. It wounds to heal. It is truth with love. Ortlund notes, “Truth without grace is harsh and ugly” (21). Such a culture is cold, weak, hypocritical and unloving. Therefore, Ortlund notes “Without the culture, the doctrine will seem pointless” (21). However, when rich gospel doctrine gives rise to rich gospel culture and the two work in concert, the church thrives: “When the doctrine is clear and the culture is beautiful that church will be powerful” (21).

 

Overview of Ortlund’s First Three Chapters

Ortlund unpacks the gospel in three spheres: what the gospel means for you personally (“The Gospel for You”, Chapter 1), what the gospel means for the Church corporately (“The Gospel for the Church”, Chapter 2), and what the gospel means for all creation (“The Gospel for Everything”, Chapter 3). At the end of these first three chapters, Ortlund points out how each of these facets of the gospel informs cultural formation. First, he highlights the personal reality of the gospel.

Gospel Doctrine: “The Gospel for You”

In Chapter 1, Ortlund details the personal reality of rich gospel doctrine. God in his infinite love saves individuals through his Son Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) (21). This is how God saves his people. This is how God saves you. Ortlund notes, “The massive love of God calls for more and creates more than mild agreement…Real belief takes us into Jesus Christ…we find in him our all…We gladly lose ourselves in who he is for desperate sinners” (33). Therefore, Ortlund writes, “When I believe into Christ, I stop hiding and resisting. I surrender my autonomy” (33). This personal reality of the gospel naturally gives rise to a corporate reality of the gospel, and therefore, a cultural reality.

Gospel Culture

The gospel doctrine of our individual salvation creates a gospel culture in the local church of sacrificial love and brotherly affection. Ortlund notes, “Now here is the beautiful church culture called for by that doctrine: ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’ (1 John 4:11)” (36). This means a gospel culture in a local church will be marked by the loving pursuit of and care for our brothers and sisters in the body. But it also means a gospel culture will be marked by the willful surrender of ourselves to the pursuit and care of our brothers and sisters in the body. Gospel culture is not one of isolation. God saves individuals for covenant community in the local church. Therefore, we give ourselves to the ministry of loving our brothers and sisters as Christ loved us, and we give ourselves to the ministry of our brothers and sisters who seek to love us with the love of Christ. As Ortlund notes, “we give up our aloofness and come together to care for one another in real ways, even as God wonderfully cares for us” (37).

Gospel Doctrine: “The Gospel for the Church”

In Chapter 2, Ortlund highlights the corporate reality of rich gospel doctrine by pointing to two miraculous gospel realities: unity and purity.

Unity

First, through the gospel, Jesus creates a people, the church. By virtue of our individual union with Christ, we are united with all Christians across the centuries. However, we express, participate in, and even build upon that unity by literally gathering as and being members of local churches. Ortlund notes, “the unity of the church becomes our actual experience in the unity of a church” (40), and “It is only in a church that we are members of Christ and of one another, moving forward together like a well-coordinated body (1 Cor. 12:12–27)” (40).

Gospel Culture

A local church’s gospel culture is marked by beautiful unity (I’ve adapted this language of “beautiful” from Ortlund’s language regarding a church culture marked by holiness quoted below). From the outside looking in, the world hopefully sees in the gathering of the local church diverse peoples that have no earthly reason to be together. But we gather and commit lovingly to one another as the local church in order to participate in, display, and build upon the reality of our union with one another by virtue of our union with Christ. And as this unity endures over time through blessings and trials or through joys and suffering, it only grows in beauty. This gospel culture of unity, then, becomes a profound gospel witness to the world.

Purity

Secondly, through the gospel, Jesus purifies his people, the church. Certainly, as the church we continue to struggle with and fight sin. But the promise of the gospel is that we are and will be holy. Ortlund hits on this by noting several passages. We are at once washed clean, sanctified, and justified before God (1 Corinthians 6:11). Simultaneously we are called to ever-increasing holiness: “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15–16). We are to be more and more fitting to the gospel call on our lives (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12). And the gospel promise it that God will sanctify the church, his bride, completely (Ephesians 5:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24).

Gospel Culture

A local church shimmers with holiness. That is, gospel culture in the local church should be “marked,” as Ortlund asserts, “by a beautiful holiness” (48). A rich gospel doctrine fully recognizes and fully embraces our perfectly righteous standing before God because of Jesus. Simultaneously, a rich gospel culture recognizes our perpetual weakness and sinfulness in this life. But rather than permitting us to go on sinning that grace may abound (Romans 6:1), a rich gospel culture, as Ortlund notes, “teaches us to think: ‘I’m no good at this. I do fail and fail and fail. Therefore, the promise of Christ is what matters, He will make me holy as he is holy, for his own glory. I will believe the gospel and I will put my trust in the mighty love of Christ” (48). And, I would add, we act upon that promise. In other words, a gospel rich culture promotes and cultivates the continual pursuit of greater purity in our lives through confessing and repenting of sin in light of Christ. We “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” and we “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1).

It is in this type of honest, transparent, Christ-clinging culture, beautiful unity and beautiful purity, shine forth through present and former weaknesses. And the world takes notice (49).

Gospel Doctrine: The Gospel for Everything

In Chapter 3, Ortlund describes the full scope of a rich gospel doctrine as it relates to all creation. He reminds us that creation as we know it has a trajectory — “The Bible’s story starts here: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’ (Gen 1:1). It ends here: ‘Then I saw a new heave and a new earth’ (Rev. 21:1)” (51). Through the gospel, God is making and will make all things new. That is, as Ortlund points out, “this universe, this present heaven and earth, will be renewed. God will restore this creation that he made, owns, and loves—this creation where we ourselves feel at home” (56). Therefore, God will fix all broken things and right all wrongs—“Who will put an end to war? Who will defeat Satan? Who will bring justice to the nations? Who will repair the damage and wreckage from all our sins? He will—our King, who reigns even now from his throne of grace, to whom be glory forever” (61–62).

Gospel Culture

This rich gospel doctrine gives rise to a gospel culture in the local church of resilient sturdiness amidst the trials and tribulations of life. This type of gospel culture recognizes that we are but exiles on this earth who are looking for a heavenly country, a city whose designer and builder is God, the city that is to come (Hebrews 11:10, 13, 16; 13:14). Therefore, gospel culture is marked by robust hope in future, real, tangible promises even in the midst of suffering now. As Ortlund says, “It creates churches of bright, resilient, rugged hope. It creates churches that face life as it is and are not defeated” (62). A gospel culture can truly rejoice always with prayerful, thankful hearts in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).

 

Parting Thoughts

I’m thankful for Ortlund’s labors here and the wisdom he offers in this book. Let us be exhorted to this end—DGCC, let us be a local church that ever finds our footing on and clings lovingly to rich gospel doctrine, and let us be a local church that shines and shimmers with beautiful gospel culture.

 

[1] Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ (Crossway, 2014).

Sabbath Rest in Jesus Part III: How Should Christians Practice Sabbath Wisdom?

This is the third and final installment of this three-part series on Sabbath rest. Before diving into the focus of this article, let’s recap where we have been.

 

Recap of Parts I and II

In Part I we asked, “How do we, as the new covenant people of God, fulfill the Sabbath command?” We found that the answer flows from Jesus’ fulfillment of the Sabbath. We enter into true Sabbath rest by embracing the salvation rest that comes only through Jesus. In Part II, we noted that this reality generally leads to two specific questions: (1) Is Sunday the new Sabbath Day for Christians? and (2) How should Christians practice Sabbath wisdom today? We addressed the first question in Part II. We concluded that Scripture does not suggest that Sunday (the first day of the week) is the new Sabbath Day (the seventh day of the week) for Christians. Rather, Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, that proves to be the normative day of corporate worship for the Church in Scripture and Church history. However, we also noted that, because of Christ’s shed blood, the true Sabbath rest that the old covenant Sabbath Day typified has now bled over into every day. Thus, Christians enjoy the Sabbath rest of God daily, including Sundays when we gather to worship together and tangibly celebrate that rest.

In light of these things, here in Part III, I aim to explore an answer to the second question identified in Part II, “How should Christians practice Sabbath wisdom today?” Given the reality of true Sabbath rest in Christ, whatever rhythm of rest one might choose, the Christian can actually rest better than anyone.

 

Reminder of Christian Freedom

As we noted in Part II, conscience plays an important role in determining how one chooses to implement Sabbath wisdom. This is important to acknowledge here as well. Therefore, I point us again to Romans.

Romans 14:5–6, 10 — One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord…Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother?

Recall from Part II that in this passage Paul is not necessarily saying that only one day is treated as holy and the rest common. Rather, the assumption is likely that, given Christ’s new covenant work, all days are holy. Sabbath rest permeates all days of the week. However, the way each one approaches each day, might look different. The thrust of these verses, then, is this: There remains a degree of Christian freedom in determining how one will go about rhythmically implementing Sabbath wisdom. The guide rails for such decisions are one’s conscience coupled with the desire to honor the Lord. Importantly, the varying ways Christians work out this wisdom should not lead to disunity.

This freedom comes from the reality of New Testament silence on the issue at hand. That is, there are no explicit instructions in the New Testament for how a Christian should go about implementing Sabbath wisdom. However, the New Testament does lay down gospel ground rules for us.

 

Gospel Ballasts

First, Paul makes clear that different approaches should not cause division (Romans 14:5–6, 10). We’ve noted this above. Secondly, Paul makes clear in his letter to the Colossians that salvation is not contingent of old covenant Sabbath Law keeping. Therefore, one’s Sabbath practice (among other things) must not be wielded as additive to the gospel, and then thrust upon others. That is, it should not be a works-based attempt rooted in asceticism that tries to earn saving grace. That is anti-gospel. One’s rhythmic Sabbath approach does not earn gospel grace through the Law. Rather one’s rhythmic Sabbath rest is done in light of the gospel grace attained for us by Christ’s fulfilment of the Law (Colossians 2:16–23).[1] With these gospel ballasts in place, we can also establish some guiding principles from Scripture with regard to practicing Sabbath wisdom.

 

Gospel Guidance

We can derive at least two helpful guiding principles from Scripture with regard to implementing Sabbath wisdom into our weekly rhythms. First, in the creation account, God exemplifies the wisdom of setting aside a day to rest and enjoy the goodness of his creation. Second, as we’ve already alluded, Paul makes clear that all of our gospel rhythms should aim at glorifying God.

First, God exemplifies the rhythm of Sabbath rest in Genesis 2:2.

Genesis 2:2 — And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Following God’s example is a good starting place for us as we seek to establish a practical rhythm of rest. The wisdom of this divine rhythm might be more urgent than ever given our increasingly remote-work driven culture. Whether it’s an impromptu virtual meeting over the weekend or reviewing documents and shooting off a few emails at the dinner table or in bed, in our present context one could easily find themselves “working” anytime, anywhere. The wisdom of God suggests a different rhythm to work-life balance. Setting aside a day or time to rest from our work and refresh ourselves fits with God’s pattern at creation. Furthermore, doing so reminds us that God is the creator, sustainer, and provider of all our needs, not us. Therefore, we’d be wise to follow in God’s Genesis 2:2 footsteps.

Second, Romans 14:10 instructs us that our weekly rhythms should aim at honoring God in Christ. Certainly, specific rhythms of rest will vary from Christian to Christian, but there remains a common gospel goal — God’s glory. Paul says the same elsewhere.

1 Corinthians 10:31 — So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

In all that we do as Christians, whether eating or drinking or resting, we seek to honor the Lord. So, while we certainly rest in Christ on our “on days” because of his gospel work, we also rest in Christ on our “off days” when we physically rest. Thus, we should rest on our “off days” in a way that glorifies God. And we glorify God by enjoying him through our communion with him and enjoying him through his good gifts to us.[2]

We can synthesize these two principles. Whatever shape our rhythm of rest might take, gospel wisdom suggests this: We cease from our normal work for the purpose of honoring God in our personal, bodily refreshing. And in our refreshing we tune our hearts to God by enjoying him in Christ and enjoying him through his good gifts.

When we work and rest in this way, we proclaim that God through Christ is our source of life and rest, not the works of our hands or the play we participate in. So what could this look like specifically?

 

Restful Ideas

My aim is to not reinvent the wheel here. Great Christian thinkers have explored the wisdom of Sabbath rest extensively. Therefore, resources abound with ideas and suggestions for how one can implement Sabbath rest wisdom in their weekly rhythms. Here, here, here, and here are a few helpful short reads to that end. Notably, while these authors may have different starting points and even traverse slightly different theological roads, they all arrive at the same destination: there is great wisdom in implementing an intentional rhythm of rest into our week for physical and spiritual benefit.

John Piper captures the wisdom of implementing a pattern of Sabbath rest well. With regard to physical rest, he essentially describes it as setting aside a day that is distinct from others. It should be a day that is “physically recharging.” According to Piper, for the one who performs a physically demanding job, embracing a rhythm of healthy rest could look like abstaining from physically demanding work and taking a good nap! Likewise, for the one who spends most of their work days in a seated position at a computer (Hello digital age!), he suggests that embracing a healthy rhythm of rest could include refreshing physical activity. These are helpful starting points for embracing Sabbath wisdom. But the rest could ultimately manifest in an infinite number of ways. Be creative with your rest! And whatever form your rest might take, remember the guiding principle and ask, “How can I honor and enjoy God in my resting today?” In the end, you will enjoy rest in a way that the world with all its feeble, temporary self-care suggestions and methods, can never know.

Christians can rest better than anyone, because we have true rest in Jesus. This means, in our normal, everyday work routine, the Christian truly rests. Scott Hubbard at DesiringGod.org captures this idea, writing, “The world and the devil would have us work even while we rest. But Jesus would have us rest even while we work.”[3] Likewise, in our break from work to refresh our bodies and minds through whatever activity we might choose, the Christian truly rests, because we purpose our physical rest to honor God in light of our spiritual rest in Christ. In this way, whether working or resting the Christian truly rests. So in all that you do, in your eating and drinking, in your working and in your resting, honor God by refreshing yourself in him. Enjoy him through communion with him, and enjoy him through his good gifts. Christ makes this possible. And, in Christ, the Christian enjoys Sabbath rest truly, today, tomorrow, and every day, until that great day when we will enjoy Sabbath rest perfectly, at Jesus’ return.

 

[1] Scott Hubbard expresses similar ideas in Scott Hubbard, “Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?,” Desiring God, 20 April 2021, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/should-christians-keep-the-sabbath.

[2] Joe Rigney has written an entire book on the latter. See Joe Rigney, The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts (Crossway, 2014).

[3] Hubbard, “Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?”