Sing

Two months ago, Pastor Wil wrote a blog post titled “Song as a War Strategy,” and he alluded to where we presently find ourselves in Colossians this weekend, Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In that post, Pastor Wil crystallized a vital truth for the church—God has given us psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as a means of grace to build us up in our Christian walk. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t wait another second. Avail yourself of the opportunity here.

Wil wrote, “I want to suggest to you today that singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs both individually (and especially collectively) is a means by which the Spirit enables us to wage spiritual warfare against our threefold enemy: our sinful flesh, the fallen world, and the Satanic powers of darkness.” He then followed this up with wonderful examples from Scripture where songs of the saints preceded miraculous victory. I want to use this as my jumping off point for this post. Specifically, I want to answer the question: What do psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs do for us as a body that makes them such a vital means of grace? Let’s follow Paul’s logic in Colossians 3:16 to find out.

The main idea in Colossians 3:16 is Paul’s primary command, “The word of Christ must dwell in you richly” (My translation). The word of Christ is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus that Paul has just brilliantly put on display like a multifaceted diamond refracting light and beauty from all angles for the Colossians to see. You must read all of Colossians up to this point if you want to fully appreciate all the angles of the gospel that Paul has uncovered. This word of Christ, the revelation about Jesus, must dwell richly in the church. That is, it must be central to everything she does and completely conspicuous. It must be noticeable and on display. Why? Because through this gospel the Holy Spirit ignites faith in Jesus unto salvation. Our very salvation depends on the gospel of Jesus dwelling richly in our midst. Okay. It’s vital. Not an option. We’re on board. It needs to dwell in us. So how does one cause it to dwell? Paul tells us in this verse.

We cause the gospel of Jesus to dwell richly in us by teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Teaching and admonishing go hand-in-hand with gospel proclamation (Colossians 1:28). All wisdom is just code again for gospel wisdom — in [Jesus] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). When we teach to one another this revelation—the word of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done to justify sinful man, what Jesus is doing to sanctify sinful man, and what Jesus promises to do, that is, glorify his perfected people—we cultivate an environment for the gospel to dwell richly. And, when we admonish one another, that is, warn one another about the disastrous consequences that await if we don’t heed this gospel, we cultivate an environment for the gospel to dwell richly.

Okay. Let’s do this. Let’s teach and admonish one another so that the gospel dwells richly in our midst unto our salvation. Obviously this happens through formal teaching settings, one-on-one discipleship, and other times of informal fellowship, but how else can we practically facilitate a culture, an environment where all this happens corporately? Of course, we gather for the corporate preaching of the word, which is central and vital to the life of the church and the body’s gospel culture. But Paul clearly gives this command to everyone, even if they are not in leadership or particularly gifted in teaching. So how do we do it? Paul has a solution. Sing.

Paul says the way in which we teach and admonish one another corporately so that the gospel dwells richly in our midst is with psalms, hymns, and songs of the Spirit, singing with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God (My translation). The grand solution—(Indulge me for a moment—The grand solution to cultivate and build a beautiful gospel culture that treasures Jesus and his gospel at such a deep, abiding level that no one could walk into the midst of a local church and not know who they were gathered to worship and why. That’s a mouth full.)—the grand solution to that, is to sing praises to God for Jesus and the gospel. If teaching and admonishing comes through this singing, this means that the songs the church sings should declare who Jesus is and what he has done in the gospel. And, in this way—through corporate praise and thanksgiving to God through singing—every member teaches and admonishes one another. Thus, singing Jesus and the gospel in praise to God cultivates a culture where the word of Christ dwells richly. And, where the word of Christ dwells richly, there one finds salvation. There one finds the Holy Spirit working to reveal Jesus and empower saints to walk in him.

Pastor Wil summed up this in his post:

“Remind yourselves in Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs how great our triune God is. How loving our Savior is. Remind yourself how powerful the Spirit of God is within us and of the kingdom in which Christ has made us heirs, ready to fully inherit at His return. Sing with joy in God, knowing that He’s won our victory, He’s with and for us, and He’s using our song as a means through which our enemies camp is plundered.”

Sing to God with thankfulness in your heart for Jesus, and then step back, and just enjoy the word of Christ as it dwells richly in your midst.

No Fear

What makes one susceptible to believing a false teacher and embracing a false gospel? More specifically, what would make a Christian susceptible to believing a false teacher and embracing a false gospel? What is the entry point for a false gospel? What door does it sneak through? Paul’s letter to the Colossians gives us some insight.

Paul gives three parallel warnings, by way of three commands, to the Colossians about the danger of the false gospel that false teachers peddle in their midst.

  1. First, in Colossians 2:8 Paul commands the Colossians, “See to it that no one takes you captive” with a false gospel.
  2. Second, in Colossians 2:16 Paul commands the Colossians, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you” with a false gospel.
  3. Third, in Colossians 2:18 Paul commands the Colossians, “Let no one disqualify you” with a false gospel.

How do these three commands relate to one another? How do they inform one another?

The overarching command here is Paul’s command for the Colossians to “See to it” or we might say, “Watch out!” or “Beware! that no one takes you captive!” (Colossians 2:8). Paul sees a very real possibility that the Colossian Christians could be taken captive by a false teacher among them with his false gospel. This might be surprising to us, but it doesn’t surprise Paul. The next two commands Paul gives unpack this general command and reveal to us what he means by a false teacher taking them captive.

Paul commands the Colossians to let no one pass judgment on you and let no one disqualify you. The Greek word for judge here can have a fairly wide range of meaning (semantic range). It can describe anything from simply expressing an opinion, to rendering a decision in a legal or civil case, to divine judgment. How should we take it here? Well, in this case, the Greek word for disqualify, which Paul parallels judge with, informs our understanding. The Greek word for disqualify conveys the idea of robbing of a prize. Well, what is the ultimate prize for Christians if not the prize of eternal life and joy with God in Christ? Given the immediate context of this passage with the presence of a false gospel and Paul’s articulation of the true gospel, what Paul essentially exhorts the Colossians to by saying (1) See to it that no one takes you captive, (2) let no one pass judgment on you, and (3) Let no one disqualify you is let no one condemn you with a false gospel. Paul doesn’t want the Colossians to be condemned. This likely has a twofold meaning.

First, how can the Colossians keep people from hurling condemnation at them because they refuse to accept and embrace a false gospel? They can’t. But what Paul means by issuing the Colossian church this command is, “Colossian Christians, don’t let that condemnation stick. Don’t take it to heart.” Second, what Paul means by issuing the Colossian church this command is, “Colossian Christians, don’t come under eternal condemnation by accepting and embracing a false gospel.” Now, with the our refined knowledge of Paul’s command to the Colossians in hand, let’s get back to our original question.

What is it that would tempt a Christian to accept and embrace a false gospel? We find the answer in Paul’s warning. A Christian could be tempted to accept and embrace a false gospel because of fear of condemnation even in Christ. Let’s explore.

The Colossians find themselves tempted to accept and embrace a false gospel because, by taking their eyes off of Jesus and his gospel work, they have allowed fear of condemnation to creep in. In other words, why would the Colossians embrace a false gospel? Because the false teacher tells them that even though they are in Christ, they still stand guilty and condemned before God. And what does the false offer? The false teacher prescribes the false gospel as a means to solve the problem. If the Colossians take this condemnation pronounced over them to heart, if they fear that they still stand under condemnation even in Christ, then they will not hold fast to Jesus and instead cling to a false gospel (Colossians 2:18–19). And then, the Colossians will find themselves actually condemned. This is true for you and for me as well.

We cannot take the possibility of believing and embracing a false gospel lightly. This is because the person who is most likely to peddle a false gospel to us is ourselves. In our ongoing battle with sin as Christians there is always the live possibility that, because of our clinging, sinful flesh and because of the spiritual warfare that rages, we will find ourselves tempted to fear that we remain under condemnation even in Christ. And as a result, we will find ourselves tempted to preach to ourselves a false gospel. That false gospel will look a lot like the false gospel that tempted the Colossians. It offers to remedy the situation by prescribing legalistic, manmade regulations and the pursuit of empty religious experiences (Colossians 2:16–19). This prescription may look wise and productive but it doesn’t actually solve the problem of sin and our embrace of sin (Colossians 2:23). The bottom line is, when we fear condemnation in Christ we diminish who he is and what he has done for us in the gospel. We release him, our only hope of salvation, and we begin to cling to false hopes that will actually lead to our condemnation. But the true gospel says, “Fear not! There is no condemnation in Christ! And nothing will separate you from God’s love when you are in him!” I can’t say it better than Paul does to the Romans.

 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:1, 31–39).

 

Fear of condemnation in Christ is the open door to believing and embracing a false gospel. But in the gospel of Jesus, there is no fear. Fear not, Christian, there is no condemnation for you and nothing will separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Mission of the Impeccable Christ Illustrated

Last week I highlighted the scandalous nature of the gospel. There, we saw that the gospel is scandalous in that not only is righteous, innocent Jesus condemned to die, but also, via his cross and his resurrection, Jesus sets the guilty free and makes the guilty righteous. We see this scandalous gospel live and in living color in a familiar narrative: when Jesus is condemned and Barabbas is set free. To draw out the scandal, we will follow Matthew and consider Barabbas’ notorious or well-known reputation (Matthew 27:16) over against Jesus’ reputation. Then we will consider the great exchange of the notorious sinner and the impeccably righteous Jesus. And finally, we will revel in the hope this offers us.

 

Barabbas Is Notorious for Sin

Mark notes that Barabbas, is imprisoned, “among the rebels…who had committed murder in the insurrection” (Mark 15:6–7). Luke observes that Barabbas “had been thrown in prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder” (Luke 23:19). John says he was a robber (John 18:40). This term robber in the biblical context, is often associated violence. In the OT, it is associated with raiding bandits or highwaymen and with all manner of sin, including murder (Hosea 7:1; Obadiah 5; Jeremiah 7:8–11). So what is Barabbas notorious for? Barabbas is notorious for being a violent rebel against authority. Indeed, he could even be notorious for instigating or fomenting violent insurrection (Luke 23:19). Barabbas is notorious for murder. Barabbas is notorious for robbery. In short, Barabbas is notorious for sin—sin against God and sin against his fellowman.

Now consider Jesus.

 

Jesus Is Notorious for Righteousness

A survey of the gospels make clear what Jesus is well-known or notorious for in his context. Jesus is notorious for healing the sick. Jesus is notorious for making the lame walk. Jesus is notorious for opening blind eyes and deaf ears. Jesus is notorious for exercising divine, miraculous, physics-defying authority over nature. Jesus is notorious for feeding the hungry. Jesus is notorious for casting out demons. Jesus is notorious for raising the dead. Jesus is notorious for exposing and confronting injustice and sin. Jesus is notorious for forgiving sin. In short, Jesus is notorious for his righteousness.

 

The Great Exchange

Here in this prisoner swap of Barabbas and Jesus, we see the gospel. The notoriously sinful Barabbas goes free. And the notoriously righteous Jesus is condemned. Barabbas is guilty. Barabbas should have died on that cross. But Barabbas’ sentence is commuted. Barabbas goes free. Barabbas is considered not guilty and treated as such. On the other hand, Jesus is innocent. Jesus should have gone free and lived. But Jesus’ perfectly righteous, innocent life is condemned. Jesus is considered guilty and is treated as such. This picture of the gospel ultimately breaks down, though. And this is where the scandalous nature of the gospel that we highlighted last week bursts forth even more.

 

The Even More Scandalous Gospel: The Impeccable Jesus Becomes Sin and You Become Impeccably Righteous

In this scene of Barabbas being set free, we only get a picture of the true gospel reality. Why? How? Well, what does everyone else recognize about Barabbas when he goes free? What is still true of him? He is still guilty. His guilt remains. Barabbas is only being considered and treated as not guilty. But he is inherently guilty. That is where this picture breaks down. Because what does the gospel say? The gospel of Jesus Christ says this, “Not only are you free, but you are righteous!” And we are tempted to say, “No I am guilty! Look at what I’ve done!” The gospel’s responds, “Righteous!” In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are not only free, our sentence is not simply commuted, but we are declared righteous and transformed into the very righteousness of God: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). And there is more.

Jesus worked righteousness but he also never sinned. And not only did Jesus always overcome temptation and sin, but Jesus was also incapable of sinning. Jesus was impeccable. Theologian William Shedd describes Jesus’ impeccability as his being able to not only overcome temptation, but also his being unable to be overcome by temptation.[1] And through his substitutionary atonement, by becoming the curse for us (Galatians 3:13), by becoming our sin on the cross, Jesus completely paid our debt (Colossians 3:14). Jesus gave his life as a ransom so that we might become the righteousness of God (Mark 10:45; 2 Corinthians 5:21). So because of Jesus’ work, we are like, are becoming like, and will become like him (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2). This is a monumental promise and unfading hope for those in Jesus. The sin that we continue to struggle with, even in our divinely declared righteous state, will end. We will one day be free from all remnants of our sinful flesh. Sin will no longer exist, and we will be unable to sin. Impeccable Jesus’ mission was and is to make us impeccable.

 

Enduring Hope

When we see notoriously sinful Barabbas walking free and notoriously righteous, impeccable Jesus condemned to die, we see the gospel. But we also know that the gospel is even better than what that limited scene communicates. We were like Barabbas in that scene. But where Barabbas remained guilty, we in Jesus are being made impeccably righteous. Impeccable Jesus’ mission was to make you and me impeccable. Mission accomplished. We walk in that reality imperfectly now, but we will see that reality perfectly fulfilled when he returns. For this reason we cry, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

[1] William G.T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, ed. Alan W. Gomes, Third Edition. (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R Publishing, 2005), 659, https://heritagebooks.org/products/dogmatic-theology-third-edition-shedd.html.

The Scandalous Gospel

In D.A. Carson’s 2010 book Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, he observes four ironies of the cross: (1) At the cross Jesus the King is mocked as king, (2) At the cross Jesus is utterly powerless, though he is powerful, (3) At the cross Jesus can’t save himself but saves others, and (4) At the cross Jesus cries out in despair but trusts in God. These ironies at the cross begin to get at the nature of the scandal of the crucifixion of Jesus. Something that is scandalous is something that shocks our sense of propriety or even seems to fly in the face of our collective sense of morality. Perhaps the sentence that most directly expresses the irony and the scandal of the entire reality of the cross is, “Imagine anything as scandalous as a crucified Messiah!” (139). A savior, let alone a savior who is meant to not only deliver but reign forever as King, should not die helplessly. This is scandalous. Well, keep in mind that this overall scandalous event is multifaceted in its implications with regard to our salvation. There are details that must be teased out and understood to fully appreciate what God has done for us in the cross of Jesus. And be warned, these details are also quite scandalous.

I want to highlight three scandalous details of the gospel.

 

Jesus the Righteous Condemned as Guilty

We cannot recognize the scandal of the cross without recognizing the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus was without sin. He was the only man with “clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:4; 1 Peter 2:22). He was and is the only man who can ascend the mountain of the YHWH (Psalm 24:3). But not only was Jesus sinless in his earthly life. Jesus was also perfectly righteous in his works. “He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). Jesus was revealed to be and found to be righteous, innocent, and guiltless before men (Matthew 27:19; 23; Mark 15:14; Luke 23:4; John 18:38). And yet, righteous, innocent Jesus was condemned as guilty and crucified. This is scandalous. And the even more shocking reality is that Jesus the righteous actually became the very opposite of righteousness at the cross. He who knew no sin became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is scandalous.

 

The Guilty Set Free

Built into the OT promise of the coming Messiah was that he would “proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus came to fulfill this prophesy (Luke 4:18). Guilty man lay bound, imprisoned, and enslaved by sin (Galatians 3:22; Romans 6:17). In reality, man’s enslavement and imprisonment to sin is his own doing. Man is rightly imprisoned under sin because man is guilty! But Jesus came to set the guilty sinner free through the forgiveness of sin (Romans 6:7, 18, 22).  At the cross, Jesus breaks the chains of the guilty sinner, and he sets the guilty free. This is scandalous.

 

The Guilty Made Righteous

Perhaps one of the more shocking realities of the gospel is that those who are guilty are actually transformed into the opposite. At the cross, the guilty are not set free simply because they were suddenly found to actually be innocent, as if the original conviction was based on faulty evidence. At the cross, the guilty are not set free and, yet, despite their freedom, still considered inherently guilty in the eyes of God and man, as if a sentence were merely commuted. The cross is more shocking than this. At the cross, the guilty are actually made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’ righteousness becomes the guilty’s righteousness. God does not look at the guilty in the courtroom of his divine judgment and say, “You’re free to go, but still guilty!” God does not look at the guilty and say, “I find you not guilty because there is not enough evidence to convict.” God does not look at the guilty and say, “You are guilty, but I will simply consider you not guilty.” Rather, for those in Christ, God looks at the guilty in the courtroom of his divine judgment, and looking at the cross of Jesus he says, “Not guilty. And not only are you not guilty, but you are actually righteous!” This is scandalous.

 

The Scandalous Gospel, Our Salvation

In the gospel, Jesus the righteous and innocent, became sin by dying on the cross in the place of the guilty in order to both set the guilty sinner free and make the guilty righteous. This gospel is scandalous. But for the Christian, this scandalous gospel is our salvation, and it is glorious.

The Cup of Salvation and the Cup of Wrath

12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

Psalm 116:12–13

 

What are the benefits the Lord has given to us? Well they are certainly many and varied. But they are bound up in the cup of salvation. How did we get that cup?

This weekend, I will be preaching out of Mark 14, focusing on verses 12–52. Here in this passage, we see a spectacular exchange. King Jesus gives us his cup of God’s salvation, and he takes and drinks our cup that was full to the brim of God’s wrath for sin.

In Mark 14:22–25 we see Jesus institute the Last Supper. He gives to his followers the cup of the new covenant that he says points to his blood, which is poured out for many (Mark 14:24). Of course his blood is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28). It is Jesus’ sacrifice, his blood, that atoned for the sins of his people. His sacrifice cleanses sinful men from all uncleannesses (Ezekiel 36:25). His sacrifice, his blood, established a new covenant, a covenant of peace between God and his people that will prove to be the everlasting covenant that every Old Testament covenant and sacrifice pointed to (Jeremiah 31:31; Ezekiel 37:16). This table that Jesus’ followers sit at in Mark 14:22–25 turns out to be not simply a table that commemorates God’s past redemption of his people from slavery in Egypt. This table turns out to be the table of God’s salvation for all peoples, whom he will redeem out of slavery to sin and death. This is even more remarkable when we consider the guest list of those who were invited to this table.

Mark 14:22–25 is hemmed in on each side with a look at those who are at this table. First, in Mark 14:17–21, we see that Judas is at this table. The very one who will betray Jesus, handing him over to his death. A traitor sits at this table. And in Mark 14:26–31, we see that the other disciples aren’t what we might expect as guests either. They, Jesus says, are deserters. They will all fall away from him. They will abandon him. Jesus shares this table with one he knows will betray him and never come back to him, and he shares it with those he know will abandon him in his most distressing hour. Yet, even in light of this unlikely guest list, Jesus patiently shares his table with sinners, and he offers the cup of his salvation to all. We may wonder at this, the cup of God’s salvation offered to sinful rebellious man, but as the story progresses, we see that it inspires even more wonder. For there is another cup that must be attended too. The cup of God’s wrath for sin.

Jesus will not resist his betrayer, who proves not to be one of his own (John 6:64, 70–71; 17:12) rather he will give himself over willingly. Indeed, he as the model disciple of his Father, chooses not to hold onto his own life (Mark 8:34–35). Why? In order to serve his brothers and “give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).” How would he do this? We’ve seen the first step—he gives his people the cup of his salvation. And now, Jesus will take the sinners cup full to the brim of God’s wrath for sin, and he will drink it to the dregs. We see a picture of Jesus’ faithfulness to do this in Gethsemane.

In Mark 14:32–42, Jesus wrestles with God. We see him in his full humanity express his desire to see the cup of God’s wrath pass from him. And we see the man Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, overcome the temptation to abandon God’s will when he submits completely to God’s will. He does so knowing it means utter rejection by man — including his closest friends —, physical torment, and torturous death. But more than that, it also means being forsaken by his Father. He must drink the poisonous cocktail of God’s cup of judgment mingled together with all sins, small and great. And when he does, he who knew no sin will become sin. And he will become the object of his Abba Father’s fiery wrath. And yet, in full knowledge of this, he says, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

It is here in Gethsemane that we see Jesus take the first drink from the cup and begin to taste the first flavors of its bitterness. Judas betrays him and man despises him. And his own people, Peter, James, John, and the others, despise and reject him. They hide their faces from him. And they esteem him not (Isaiah 53:3). They choose instead to hold onto their lives, thinking they are saving themselves, by they fleeing from Jesus (Mark 14:50–52). In reality, though, Jesus saves their lives by giving his when drains the full cup of God’s wrath in its full-bodied bitterness on the cross — “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).

What are the benefits the Lord has given to us? It is not less than the forgiveness of our sins contained in the cup of his salvation. He offers us this cup in Jesus, who took our sinners’ cup, full of God’s wrath and drank all of it for us. Jesus gives us the cup of his salvation and drinks the sinners’ cup, our cup, of God’s wrath.

What is the right response to such a benefit? What can we do? What shall we render back to the Lord? Ask for more. Lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Psalm 116:13).

You are My God – I Cannot Be My Own Master: Augustine on Psalm 143

[In the February 21 sermon on Psalms 142 and 143, I quoted from Augustine’s commentary on 143:10. As mentioned in a December blog post, we do well to interact with believers who are not our contemporaries, for they will often see in Scripture what we miss. I commend to you, therefore, these excerpts from Augustine’s comments on Psalm 143:5-11, based on this 19th century English translation. I have made some edits, updating the verb forms, generally replacing the cited Scriptures with the ESV, adding Scripture references, and clarifying some sentences. So I pray that you may profit from this 1600-year-old exposition! – Coty]

[Verse 5] In all the works of God then, and in meditation on all the works of God, [David] introduces grace, he commends grace, he boasts that he has found grace, the grace whereby we are saved without price…. Why do you boast of your own righteousness? Why lift yourself up, being ignorant of the righteousness of God? Because you contributed to your salvation? What did you contribute to being made a man? Look back then upon the Framer of your life, the Author of your substance, of your righteousness, and of your salvation: meditate upon the works of His hands, for even the righteousness in you, you will find, is the work of His hands [Ephesians 2:9-10]…. Turn from your own work, to His work Who made you; He fashioned you, and let Him refashion what He fashioned and you destroyed. For you exist because He made you; you are good – if you are – because He made you good.…

[Verse 6] And what did I do when I saw that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning [James 1:17]? When I saw this, I turned from the evil work which I had wrought in myself, and I stretched forth my hands unto You…. Indeed, my soul is as a land without water to You. Rain upon me to bring forth from me good fruit…. I can thirst for You; I cannot water myself. My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come to Him [Psalm 42:2], save when He has come to me?

[Verse 7a] “Answer me quickly, O Lord!” For what need of delay to inflame my thirst, when already I thirst so eagerly? You delayed the rain, that I might drink Your flow. If then You delayed for this cause, now give, for my soul is as a land without water to You…. Let Your Spirit fill me, for my spirit has failed me. This is the reason why You should quickly hear me…. I am now poor in spirit; make me blessed in the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 5:3]…. But quickly hear me, O God, rain on me, strengthen me, that I be not dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth [Psalm 1:4]. Quickly hear me, O God; my spirit has failed: let not my need suffer longer delay…. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” [2 Corinthians 5:17]. Old things pass away in our own spirit, they are made new in Your Spirit.

[Verse 7b] “Hide not Your face from me.” You hid it from me when I was proud. For once I was full, and in my fulness I was puffed up. Once in my fulness I said, … “I shall not be moved.” I knew not Your Righteousness, and tried to establish my own; … but from You came whatever fulness I had. And to prove to me that it was from You, You hid Your Face from me, and I was troubled. After this trouble, … then I became like a land without water to You: hide not Your Face! … Hide not Your Face from me, because, if You hide it, I shall “be like them that go down into the pit.” What does “go down into the pit” mean? … He no longer believes in Providence, or if he does believe, he thinks that he has no longer anything to do with it. He sets before himself license to sin, the reins of iniquity being let loose now that he has no hope of pardon. He does not confess his sin…. “Hide not Your face from me or I shall be like them that go down into the pit.”

[Verse 8a] “Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in you I trust.” Behold, I am in the night, yet I have trusted in You, until the iniquity of the night passes away. For we have, as Peter says, “the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” [2 Peter 1:19]. He calls “morning” the time after the end of the world…. “If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience [Romans 8:25] The night requires patience, the day will give joy.

[Verse 8b] But what do we do until the morning comes? For it is not enough to hope for the morning; we must … seek Him…. Since then we must thus hope for the morning, and bear this night, and persevere in this patience until the day dawn, what meanwhile must we do here? So that you will not think you should do anything of yourself to earn your being brought to the morning, he says, “Make me know the way I should go.” That is why God lit the lamp of prophecy, that is why He sent Jesus in the vessel, as it were, of the flesh…. Walk by prophecy, … walk by the word of God. As yet you do not see the Word as He was in the beginning, God with God [John 1:1]: walk by the Form of [the Word as] a servant, and you shall be conformed to the Form of God. “For to You I lift unto up my soul.” I have lifted it up to You, not against You. With You is the Fountain of life: to You have I lifted up my soul. I have brought my soul as a vessel to the Fountain: fill me, therefore, for unto You have I lifted up my soul.

[Verse 9] “Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for I have fled for refuge to You.” I who once fled from You, now flee to You…. I think not here of human enemies. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against whom?… The rulers of this world, of this darkness, the rulers of the wicked [Ephesians 6:12]; against these you wrestle. Great is your conflict, not to see your enemies, and yet to conquer. Against the rulers of this world, of this darkness, the devil, that is, and his angels….

[Verse 10a] “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.” Glorious confession! glorious rule! “For You are my God.” To another I would hasten to be re-made, if by another I was made. You are my all, for You are my God. Shall I seek a father to get an inheritance? You are my God, not only the Giver of my inheritance, but my Inheritance itself [Psalm 142:5]…. Shall I seek a patron, to obtain redemption? You are my God. Lastly, having been created, do I desire to be re-created? You are my God, my Creator, Who created me by Your Word, and re-created me by Your Word. But You created me by Your Word [the Son], Who was with You: You re-created me by Your Word, made Flesh for our sakes. Teach me then to do Your will, for You are my God. If You do not teach, I shall do my own will, and my God will abandon me. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Teach me: for it cannot be that You are my God, and yet I am to be my own master. See how grace is commended to us. This hold fast, this drink in, this let none drive out of your hearts, lest you have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge [Romans 10:2]; lest, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to establish your own righteousness, you submit not yourselves to the righteousness of God [Romans 10:3]….

[Verse 10b-11] Your good Spirit, not my bad one, … shall lead me into the right land. For my bad spirit has led me into a crooked land. And what have I deserved? What can be reckoned as my good works without Your aid, through which I might … be worthy to be led by Your Spirit into the right land? What are my works? … Listen, then, with all your power, to the commendation of Grace, whereby you are saved without price. “For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, You shall make me live.” You shall make me live. “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory” [Psalm 115:1]. “For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, You shall make me live in Your righteousness;” not in my own righteousness. Not because I have deserved to live, but because You have mercy. For I deserve nothing of you except punishment. You have pruned from me my own merits; You have grafted in Your own gifts.

The Gift of God in Jesus

Gifts and the Gospel

Let’s talk about gifts.

Christmas day has come and gone and many of us gave and received gifts. Some of us gave an expensive gift and some of us received an expensive gift. Some of us gave a less expensive gift and some of received a less expensive gift. Perhaps it was a mix of both. But, whether we gave or received an expensive or less expensive gift, each gift had a cost associated with it. Every gift given or received cost someone something.

Now let’s talk about the gospel.

In the gospel, God gave us the greatest gift of all in his Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Jesus even refers to himself (and everything that comes with him—the eternal life or living water he brings and the Holy Spirit) as “the gift of God” —“Jesus answered [the woman at the well], ‘If you knew the gift (δωρεά) 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” (John 4:10). Jesus is the greatest gift.

One of the best ways to see and appreciate Jesus’ superiority is to observe how he fulfills what others in the redemptive narrative of Scripture pointed to. One of the best characters to study for this purpose, a man whose life pointed to and anticipated Jesus in many ways, is King David.

 

King David’s Christlikeness

In 1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1, King David intercedes for his kingdom and Jerusalem by offering a sacrifice. Why did he need to do this? Well, God had sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem because of David’s sin of taking a census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1–17). In response, David pleaded with God to spare the people from the plague and to let God’s wrath fall on him and his household alone since he was the one who sinned (1 Chronicles 21:17). So, God commands David to go and build an altar and to make sacrifice to the LORD at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (1 Chronicles 21:18). And here, David does something remarkable.

When David comes to acquire the threshing floor, David buys it at full price. Why is this remarkable? Well, David could have exercised his divine right as king and simply taken the threshing floor. In fact, Ornan tries to give it, along with the oxen and wood, to David for free. But David will not accept Ornan’s offer. Why? David says why: “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (1 Chronicles 21:24, emphasis mine). The Greek translation of the OT, the LXX, could be woodenly translated into English, “I should certainly not take what is yours for the LORD, to carry up as a burnt offering gift (δωρεά) to the LORD” (my translation; Notice, the LXX uses the same word here for gift [δωρεά] that appears in John 4:10 to describe the gift of God in Jesus and the eternal life he brings). David will not offer a gift that costs him nothing. Therefore, he buys the threshing floor, offers sacrifices, and the LORD accepts them and spares Jerusalem. David then announces that the temple and altar will be built at this location, the threshing floor of Ornan.

How does this point us to the superiority of the gift of the person of Jesus? Well, we know that David, as a King of Israel, is a type of Christ. He points to and anticipates the greater David, the promised Son of David (1 Chronicles 17:11–14). And here we see King David looking Christlike in that he successfully intercedes on behalf God’s people by offering a sacrifice. But to fully appreciate how Jesus is supreme, we don’t just note the similarities. We look for the differences.

 

King Jesus’ Superiority

The differences between David here in 1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1 and Jesus are stunning.

 

Sinful David intercedes for God’s people because they suffer the consequences of his sin (1 Chronicles 21:17; cf. 21:1–17).

Righteous Jesus intercedes for God’s people because they suffer the consequences of their own sin (1 Peter 3:18).

 

David tries to offer himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for God’s people (1 Chronicles 21:17).

Jesus does offer himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for God’s people (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 10:10, 12).

 

David’s gift to save God’s people costs him 600 shekels of gold (1 Chronicles 21:25).

Jesus’ gift to save God’s people costs him his life (Mark 10:45; Romans 5; Philippians 2:5–8)

 

David’s sacrifice leads to the building of God’s house, the temple, made of stone and brick (1 Chronicles 22:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1)

Jesus’ sacrifice leads to the building of God’s spiritual house, his temple, made of living stones, his people (Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–5; Revelation 21:1–3).

 

Jesus is the better David. The better king. God’s people do not suffer due to his sinfulness. Rather God’s people are healed and saved by his holy righteousness. Jesus does not simply try to lay down his life as an acceptable offering to God. Jesus successfully lays down his life as an acceptable offering to God. Jesus does not purchase us as God’s people with silver and gold. Jesus purchases us with his infinitely valuable blood that never diminishes in value. Jesus does not build a temple with wood and stone in a fixed location. Jesus builds a living temple of God’s people inhabited his own Holy Spirit so that God’s people worship him in spirit and in truth no matter where they are (John 4:21–24). And through Jesus, God does dwell in the midst of his people now and will dwell in the midst of his people forever (Revelation 21:1–3). Jesus is the greatest gift.

 

The Gift of God in Jesus

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. They come with different costs. But all earthly gifts, even our favorite gifts that we received this Christmas, pale in comparison to the gift of God. In Jesus, God has given us the gift of his very own Son. God has given us eternal life. God has given us his very own Spirit. Jesus is the greatest gift because Jesus gives us everything. Jesus gives us his own life so that we might have God. Through the gift of Jesus, then, God gives us himself.

So as we joyfully reflect on our gift giving and receiving from this past Christmas—and let us enjoy those gifts fully—let the taste of joy those gifts give us be just that, a taste. And let that taste of joy remind us of the supreme gift God has given us in his Son, Jesus, who gives us everything. Because if you know the gift of God, and who it is who offers us that gift, then you will ask him, and he will give you the fullest taste of living water (John 4:10).

Advent: Jesus Came to Be Your Curse and Your Cleansing

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons… As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.  And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” (Mark 11:15, 20)

 

Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth over two-thousand years ago, his first advent? And what awaits us at his return, his second advent? As we’ve seen in this series, these are questions we should always ask, but they are especially fresh on our minds in the Advent season. And there are a myriad of ways to answer these questions from Scripture. We saw last week that according to Mark 10:46–11:11, Jesus came in order to reign as your king. He reigns now on the throne in heaven and on the throne of our hearts. And at his return, he will reign on earth, and we will reign with him forever. We saw in that passage, that Jesus’ path to the throne was through the cross. And because of the cross, he is a king who gives boundless mercy. This is because, at the cross Jesus reversed the curse and cleansed his sinful people. Here, then, we arrive at another answer to the question of why Jesus came: Jesus came to be your curse and your cleansing.

 

A Curse and A Cleansing in Mark 11:12–25

In Mark 10:46–52, Jesus proves to be the promised Son of David who gives his people mercy in the healing of blind Bartimaeus. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, complete with him riding a donkey (see Zechariah 9:9) and the people singing a song of God’s salvation (see Psalm 118:25–26) caps off the miracle, pointing to Jesus as the promised king who brings salvation to God’s people through mercy. Right after all of this, we see Jesus’ “first act as king” if you will: he cleanses the temple (Mark 11:15–19). However, Mark sandwiches Jesus’ temple cleansing in between Jesus’ cursing of a fig tree (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25). Taken together, this reveals Jesus purpose to take the curse from and cleanse his people.

 

Of Figs, Fig Trees, and God’s People

A few times in the Old Testament, God compares his people to figs or fig trees (Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 8:13; 24:1–5). Jesus himself will use agrarian imagery to describe Israel in Mark 12:1–12 where he uses a vineyard to symbolize them in his parable of the unfaithful tenants. And here in Mark 11:12–25, Mark parallels a fruitless fig tree with Israel, the house of God, and the temple, which is in need of cleansing. Israel has failed to bear fruit. They have not loved God with all of their heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). They have not loved their neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). They have not kept covenant with God and have not been his treasured possession out of all peoples on the earth (Exodus 6:7; 19:5). Moreover, not only have they not borne good fruit, they have actually borne bad fruit.

 

God’s People and His Temple: Cleansed

In the OT, Israel was distinct from all other peoples. Their distinct identity was rooted in the reality that God dwelled in their midst in the temple (Exodus 29:45; 33:14–16; Leviticus 26:12). God’s people and the place of their identity, the temple where God dwelled, should have been a house for all peoples (Mark 11:17; see Isaiah 56:7) no matter their social status or ethnicity. If foreigners “join themselves to the LORD, to love the name of the LORD” they are welcomed by God (Isaiah 56:6–7). And God “gathers the outcasts” to himself (Isaiah 56:8). But, as Jesus’ actions and words make clear in Mark 11:15–19, the people by their sin have turned the house of Israel and the temple “into a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17; see Jeremiah 7:10). This is a sweeping condemnation that speaks to more than extortion. In context, the term for “robbers” in Jeremiah 7:10, which Jesus quotes, speaks of sinful violence and evil of all manner directed not only at neighbor but at God and his covenant (Jeremiah 7:8–12). Israel has borne the fruit of sin and evil. And now their king has come and, in an act of authoritative judgment, cleaned house. The parallel is clear, Israel has failed to bear good fruit, and just like the fruitless fig tree, they receive judgment. However, they receive a judgment that results in a cleansing.

 

Curse and Forgiveness

We see in Mark 11:20–21, when Jesus and his disciples pass by the fig tree again the next morning after Jesus’ temple cleansing, that the fig tree Jesus cursed has withered away. The consequence of breaking covenant with God is covenant curse resulting in death and destruction (Deuteronomy 28:45). But surprisingly, when the disciples point out the fig tree, Jesus does not begin to teach them about the breaking of covenants and the curse and death that results nor how all of this with the tree is meant to illustrate what Jesus did in the temple the day before. Rather, Jesus begins to teach them about faith. He responds with, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). And then Jesus goes on to teach that the prayer of faith can do miraculous, earth-moving things. He teaches that if one prays with faith devoid of doubt, they will receive what they ask. This can seem disconnected until we see Jesus begin to speak about praying for forgiveness in verse 25. The greatest miracle that the prayer of faith brings about is the miracle of forgiveness from sins. This is the gospel thread that binds these two episodes, the cursed fig tree and the temple cleansing, together.

 

Gospel: Jesus Becomes Your Curse and Your Cleansing

The sins of God’s people demand judgment, curse, and destruction of the offenders. However, Jesus makes clear in his temple actions that with this judgment will come a cleansing away of the sin. Here is the twist. The gospel tells us that this judgment, the curse of sin and the destruction of death, did not ultimately fall on God’s people. Rather, the judgment fell on their representative, their rightful, sinless king, Jesus, at the cross. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). Through becoming our curse, the king “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his possession” once again (Titus 2:14). Jesus purifies us, that is he “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The prayer of faith will take hold of Jesus and this gospel—trusting that God has cast into the sea the mountain of sin and violence that we’ve committed against others and against him—, and the one who prays it will receive not curse but forgiveness. Jesus came to become our curse and our cleansing. All other prayers of faith will flow from this reality.

 

Jesus’ Second Advent

Because Jesus became our curse and our cleansing, our identity is restored. We truly are God’s treasured possession (Titus 2:14; cf. Exodus 6:7; 19:5). God in Christ dwells with us now and we with him through the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:20; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14; cf. Exodus 29:45; 33:14–16; Leviticus 26:12). However, we still long for our heavenly dwelling in the new heavens and new earth (2 Corinthians 5:2). At that time, all the clinging remnants of sin and death will perish forever (1 Corinthians 15:53–54). In that place, it will be said “ ‘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” (Revelation 21:3–4).

 

Remembering Jesus’ First Advent, Looking to Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus came to be your curse and your cleansing so that God dwells with us again right now by the Holy Spirit. And Jesus will come again so that we may dwell with God forever in the new heavens and new earth, where sin, sadness, pain, and death shall never tread again. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember and this is what we look forward to this Advent season.

 

DGCC’s Vision Part VI: Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

We’ve considered the first two dimensions of our gospel practice, seeing Jesus together as a family and sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. Here consider the third and final dimension of our gospel practice, showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

By Showing Jesus to All Peoples As His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

This gospel practice speaks to our outreach. That is, it speaks to our participation in the advance of God’s kingdom on earth through showing Jesus via the spread of the gospel of Jesus. The word choice of showing comes from the Greek φανερόω, which mean to make clear, visible, or manifest; to reveal; or to disclose, that is, to show. This is how Paul captures Christian gospel witness in 2 Corinthians 2:14–16:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (φανερόω; to make known) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Paul says that we are the aroma of Christ to God among the world. That is, our very manner of life testifies to the world of Jesus. Jesus himself says as much:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14, 16).

This means, for the Christian, our good works in the world are bound up with the gospel. Therefore, we do not separate our good works from our gospel witness. All of our good works point to and testify of and show Jesus. Our good works are done with a view to showing Jesus. So too, we are also always ready to show Jesus not through our works merely, but through gospel proclamation.

Paul makes clear that making known the fragrance of Christ relates directly to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:17). Indeed, the task of Christian evangelism and outreach is to clearly show Jesus, or as Paul says, to make the mystery of Christ clear.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear (φανερόω), which is how I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3–4).

Christians show Jesus with their words both in bold gospel proclamation and in gospel-seasoned, wise speech that leaves outsiders thirsty for more. So Christians show Jesus through gospel good works that organically connects to gospel proclamation. Therefore, we at DGCC aim to show Jesus in our gospel good works and in our gospel proclamation. To whom do we show him? We show Jesus to all peoples.

We show Jesus to all peoples. Jesus commanded his people in his final commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (ἔθνος)” (Matthew 28:19). Nations can also be rendered peoples. Christians aim to take the gospel and make disciples of every people group. Jesus chose this word for a reason. By divine design, this great commission fits into the overarching redemptive narrative. God promised to bless all the families, that is, all the peoples of the earth through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1–2; 22:15–18). God fulfills this through Jesus. Therefore, we at DGCC have always sought to be a church of the nations, of peoples. It’s our prayer that our body would testify to this in a diverse makeup, and it is our aim to always carry the gospel to the nations. In this way, we participate in God’s unified, diverse kingdom on earth right now, while anticipating the coming heavenly reality when “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” stands before the throne of God giving glory to God in Christ (Revelation 7:9–10). In Jesus, God makes good on his ancient covenant promise of blessing for all peoples, and he has invited those of us who are in Christ to take part in carrying that blessing out as Jesus’ witnesses.

When we show Jesus to all peoples, we do so as his witnesses. Jesus called his disciples his witnesses (Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 15:26–27; Acts 1:8). Jesus says to his followers in 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 1:8)

Amazingly, Jesus has fulfilled this declaration. Jesus bore witness of himself to the end of the earth through the Holy Spirit working in his original followers. That is, the original disciples, as witnesses of Jesus, have ultimately passed the gospel baton down to us, those at the end of the earth. Thus, we fall in line with past saints and bear gospel witness to those around us. At DGCC, we aim to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses both near and far. That is, we show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

God in his sovereignty has placed DGCC in a particular time and place. And, God in his providence has brought peoples from all nations close to us. Therefore, at DGCC, we want to lean into God’s providence regarding our place by showing Jesus in our neighborhood. We do this by bearing gospel witness as a unified body in our church neighborhood, and we do this by bearing gospel witness as individual members in our individual neighborhoods. We do not look past the neighborhood God has placed us in. But we do look beyond it by seeking to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in Charlotte as well. We aim to bear gospel witness in all corners of this city by working cooperatively with other gospel-centered local bodies and by raising up and sending out mature believers to plant theologically robust, gospel-centered, Christ-treasuring, Holy Spirit empowered,  local churches. And finally, we strive to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in the world. While we make every effort to bear gospel witness locally, we also look to global horizons by sending and supporting missionaries, especially those who labor among unreached peoples.

 

Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

Trinitarian Conclusion

I hope it has become clear by now that our vision at DGCC takes on a Trinitarian tincture. We glorify our triune God by knowing the Father’s love for us through the grace of the Son, Jesus, by the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s final greeting to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:14 outlines our Trinitarian salvation:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Regarding this passage, Bavinck notes “In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is contained the whole salvation of men.”[5] Thus, through the time-tested gospel practices of corporate worship, ministry and discipleship within the body, and local and global outreach—seeing Jesus, sharing Jesus, and showing Jesus—we at DGCC aim to know more of God the Father’s love through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we would be ever-treasuring Christ and ever-growing in Christlikeness for God’s glory. This is what God has created us for, and this is our destiny, his glory and our joy (Psalm 16:11).

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”.

[5] Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God: Instructions in the Christian Religion According to the Reformed Confession (Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2019), 143.

DGCC’s Vision Part V: Sharing Jesus With One Another as His Disciples

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

In the last post, we considered seeing Jesus together as a family. Here consider sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. In the next post, we will consider showing Jesus.

 

By Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

This gospel practice speaks to our discipleship within the body. That is, it speaks to the building up the body of Christ through our ministry to one another through sharing Jesus with one another. Through the gospel, God has truly, spiritually unified all believers and purified all believers in Christ  (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:16; 4:4). This unity and purity most visibly expresses itself in the life of the local church. And the gospel calls local churches to build upon that unity and purity—to live it out more and more, to grow in unity and grow in purity. We do this by building up one another in the love of Christ that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God,” that is, until we attain to “the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19; 4:1–16).

“The fullness of God” and “the fullness of Christ” speak to Christian maturity. To that end, God has given us gifts to equip us for the work of ministry in order to build up the body (Romans12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 27–31; 14:2; Ephesians 4:4–16; 1 Peter 4:711). And when we engage in ministry with one another and use our gifts to build up the body, we are more specifically building up one another’s faith in Jesus and the knowledge of God’s love for us in him (Ephesians 4:15–16). Indeed, Paul makes clear in his prayer for the Ephesians that the key to growing in Christian maturity, “the fullness of God,” is growing in the knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ (Ephesians 3:14–19). Thus, by our gifts we point one another back to the gospel and back to Jesus, who through the Holy Spirit gives these gifts to us in the first place. In this way, we share more than just our gifts with one another. We actually share Jesus himself. Indeed, the language of sharing Jesus in our gospel practice rises from this reality in Scripture.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul declares his eagerness to share both gospel of Jesus and himself with other saints.

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

Sharing Jesus with fellow saints is bound up with the sharing of ourselves. Elsewhere Paul makes clear that the sharing of his spiritual gifts with fellow saints ties directly to encouragement in and increase of faith in Jesus for both those with whom he shares and himself (Romans 1:11–12). Indeed, sharing Jesus is what builds up the local church in unity and purity and, thus, shapes the church more into the fullness of Christ. Therefore, in all aspects of our church life we desire to and aim to share Jesus. And of course, we aim to do this with one another.

Scripture makes clear, that the life of the local church is marked by loving, serving, and sharing Jesus with one another. We are to

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10)

Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)

welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you (Roman 15:7)

through love serve one another (Galatians 5:15)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)

encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Thus, we desire and aim to share Jesus with one another just as the church of Christ has always done.

Finally, and importantly, we do this as his disciples. Indeed, it is this love toward one another in Christ that marks people as Jesus’ disciples.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

And in this way, we have come full circle. The local church is made up of disciples who make disciples. All of our sharing Jesus to build up one another in the body of Christ is the gospel practice of discipleship. This falls in line with Christ’s commission to his disciples to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). As God’s people, we are followers of Jesus—disciples. And we desire to grow more and more and conform more and more into the likeness of Jesus. Therefore, we disciple one another through sharing Jesus with one another. And the normative, natural ecosystem for discipleship, by God’s design, is the local church. Therefore, we lean into this reality by saying, we aim to share Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

 

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”.