DGCC’s Vision Part IV: Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

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.

Here, we consider seeing Jesus together as a family. In subsequent posts we will consider sharing Jesus and showing Jesus.

 

By Seeing Jesus Together as a Family in Our Corporate Worship

This gospel practice speaks to our corporate worship of the Triune God. But the language leans into the reality that we only come to know God through the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, seeing Jesus is what saves us and changes us. Consider the following passages.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1).

As these passages make clear, seeing Jesus is what transforms and conforms us into his very image. Indeed, this is the eschatological destiny of every Christian—looking like Jesus.

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

Therefore, in all aspects of our corporate worship, we desire to and aim to see Jesus. Thus, God’s Word in the Bible and the gospel of Jesus saturates our corporate worship. From our singing, to our prayers, to our taking part in the Lord’s supper, to our baptism, and certainly to our expositional, gospel-centered preaching, God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus shapes and soaks our worship. We desire and aim to see Jesus. And, importantly, we do this together as a family.

In Christ, God has adopted us as his children (Romans 8:15). Again, Scripture overflows with this reality that we are God’s family in Christ. In Christ, we are brothers and sisters, members of God’s household (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:5; cf. 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:12). In Christ, God has made good on his covenantal promises and made us all Abraham’s offspring (Galatians 3:29; cf. Genesis 17:5; 28:14). Jesus himself notes that we are his family (Mark 3:31–35). Thus, when we gather to see Jesus in our corporate worship of our Triune God, we do so together as a family.

To this end, we intentionally shape our liturgy (our order of service) to reflect our common kinship. From our opening gospel welcome and responsive call to worship to our final benediction and closing call and response—and every Scripture reading and prayer that falls in between—we aim to imbue our service with familial hospitality and the participation of all members. This gospel won family reality then spills over into our fellowship after service. We are a family in Christ, and we see Jesus most readily together as a family in our corporate worship.

Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

At DGCC, we joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by seeing Jesus together as a family.

 

[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, Christian’s 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.”; 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 Cor 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] Tim 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?”.

Tim Keller on the Love of God in the Gospel

It’s been almost two months since Tim Keller went on to be with the Lord on May 19, 2023. Since his passing, a deluge of Tim Keller tributes has poured forth from Christians who were touched, shaped, and influenced by his gospel wisdom. (For example, see here, here, and here). Allow me to add to the cascade.

Tim Keller was known for his God-given insight into the human heart. Keller not only knew how to exegete a text, Keller knew how to exegete people. He knew how to tease apart the complex tangle of desires in the human heart. Perhaps that is why since his death we have seen a flood of Keller quotes spill from keyboards in desk spaces onto webpages in cyberspace. Quotes like these. Tim Keller knew how to speak the gospel directly to the human heart.

 

The Self-Protecting Human Heart

One Keller quote that has recently rocked me again is this:

The gospel says you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope.[1]

I would like to riff on this powerful quote for a moment. The sinful human heart has a tendency to go into self-protection mode. And there are really two distinct modes of this one self-protection mode: (1) self-approval mode and (2) self-condemnation mode.

 

Self-Approval and Self-Condemnation

First, there is self-protection that manifests as self-approval. In self-approval mode, the sinful human heart says, “Oh, you’re not that bad. Look at that person over there. They’re way worse than you. At least you’re not that bad. You’re good. Don’t worry.” The sinfully self-approving heart seeks to protect itself from condemnation out of fear of disapproval. And so with every pang of the conscience, the self-approving heart sears the conscience and calcifies more and more.

Alternatively, there is self-protection that manifests as self-condemnation. In self-condemnation mode, the sinful human heart says, “You are the worst. You are worth nothing. You are so evil, there is absolutely no saving you. You might as well not even exist.” The sinfully self-condemning heart seeks to protect itself from any kind of approval out of fear that such approval or a relationship born from it would expose it to intimate love, which demands vulnerability. And so with every approving look and/or the potential of an edifying, loving relationship, the self-condemning heart distances itself by castigating itself and self-flagellation.

But Keller helpfully shows how the gospel completely blows up both self-flattery and self-flagellation. It does so by first wounding these sinful hearts.

 

The Gospel Wounds the Self-Approving Heart

First, the gospel says to the self-approving, hardened heart, “You are more sinful than you can even know. You are more flawed than you ever dared believe.” The gospel levels and shatters the hardened heart. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s word is a fire that consumes and a hammer that shatters the rock (Jeremiah 23:29). The self-approving heart does not stand a chance in the face of the gospel. It must break. But the gospel also speaks to the self-condemning heart. What does it say? Surprisingly, it first says the exact same thing.

 

The Gospel Wounds the Self-Condemning Heart

The gospel says to the self-condemning heart, “You are more sinful than you can even know. You are more flawed than you ever dared believe.” The gospel says to the self-condemning heart, Mark 7:21–23:

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

The gospel says to the self-condemning heart Genesis 6:5, “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” And the self-condemning heart responds, “I know this. This is what I have been saying all along. I am evil. I am wicked and rotten to the core. I understand this.” And the gospel answers, “No, you don’t understand.” The gospel responds with Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” The gospel says, “You have no idea the depth of your depravity. You think you have plumbed the depths? Go even deeper. You will never find the end of it.”

The gospel speaks to both the self-approving heart and the self-condemning heart and says the same thing, “You are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe.” The gospel wounds the self-protecting heart. But it wounds in order to heal.

 

The Gospel Heals the Wounded Heart

Both the self-approving heart and the self-condemning heart must be wounded to the point of death because both ultimately have the same problem. Both hearts seek to protect themselves from the intimate love of God. Both hearts actually seek to hold onto their own independence. They want to operate on their own terms. They want to be in control. The intimate love of God poses a threat to this independence. The intimate love of God and a relationship with him demands vulnerability. It demands surrender to his help and to his will. The gospel demands that the self-protecting heart relinquishes control to the God who loves you more than you ever dared to hope. So the gospel wounds the heart until the only option it has left is to look up to Jesus and like Peter sinking in the waves say, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).

The gospel says to the wounded heart in spite of all of your sinfulness, in spite of all of your evil, in spite of the depth of your depravity, you are more loved by God than you could possible fathom. The gospel says, “Remember how deep your depravity runs? Remember how, try as you might, you could never come to the end of it? Well, now just try to scale the height of God’s love for you. You will never reach the top of that mountain. God’s love for you is infinite. God’s love for you overcomes all of your depravity. Your sin is a drop consumed in the ocean of God’s love.” The gospel, as Keller put it, says to the wounded heart in Christ, “You are more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope.”

 

The Love of God

In one quote Keller captures the breadth of the gospel here. The gospel both cuts and heals. It wounds in order to bind up. No heart is safe in the presence of this gospel. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). While Keller’s gospel insight here speaks to the human heart by highlighting both sin and God’s love, the two realities in this quote ultimately work in concert to really magnify the latter, God’s love. This is right and good. The love of God in Christ drives the Christian life. And try as we might, we will never fully know in this life the depth and height of God’s love for us. But we must continue to plumb the depths and climb the heights of his love, for it is our salvation. Perhaps this is why Paul prays in Ephesians 3:18–19 that we

may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…

This should ever be our prayer. I’m thankful that Tim Keller helped me see this even more clearly.

[1] Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (Penguin Publishing Group, 2013), 44.

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.

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.

How is a Man Made Right With God?

How is a man made right with God?

This is a fundamental question that most religions attempt to answer.

Our authority is God’s Word, the Bible. How does Scripture answer the question?

There is some debate.

One answer many have given over the years: “Keep the commandments.”

Another answer is similar, with a twist: “Depend on God’s power to enable you to keep the commandments.”

We will see that both of those answers are wrong. Keeping the commandments – by God’s power – is important. But that never saves us. That never puts us right with God.

The biblical answer is: Look away from yourself, admit you are in desperate need of a Savior, and look to our crucified and risen Savior with childlike faith.

Luke shows us in chapter 18 of His gospel that the first two answers are wrong and the last answer is right. Let’s delve into that passage.

 

Made Right with God by Keeping Commandments? Luke 18:18-27

A ruler asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

There are two assumptions behind this question: “I don’t have eternal life now” and “There’s something I can do to inherit it.”

Most likely this man had been taught that a man is made right with God by keeping the commandments. But something has shaken his confidence – perhaps even something Jesus has said.

Jesus responds in Luke 18:19: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Jesus is questioning his standard of good. Is this ruler comparing himself to other men? It’s possible to look good by that comparison. But if instead we compare ourselves to God – we can never call ourselves good! So realize, Jesus is not saying He Himself falls short of the standard. Instead, he is helping the man to get his standard right.

Jesus then lists several biblical commandments the ruler knows – and he responds that he has kept them all.

Now, realize: These listed commandments all reflect God’s character directly. Implicitly Jesus says, “To inherit eternal life, you must be credited with Godlike character.” In that light, the man’s claim to have obeyed them all is audacious. He is saying He has acted like God!

Rather than simply telling him he is wrong, or detailing the implications of the Law as He does in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes directly to the way to eternal life: “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).

What is that “one thing”? “Follow me!” Jesus says, “I’m not just a good teacher who gives advice. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). You are not going to earn eternal life by living up to a set of rules, trying to become like God via your efforts. That’s hopeless! The only way to eternal life is by following Me! And your wealth is keeping you from doing that.”

Luke then tells us the ruler “became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). Note: He goes away sad – because he was rich!

Thus Jesus says to His disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25).

Those of us who have wealth frequently think we are accomplished, we are important, we are blessed – and so think we deserve or can achieve or can buy eternal life. Jesus says: “Not so!”

The disciples, thinking of riches as a sign of God’s favor, are astounded, asking, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). That is: God saves us. We can never save ourselves. For God’s standard is perfect righteousness. We fall short of that standard before we are born (Romans 5:18-19), and every day we live we fall further short.

We can never be right with God by keeping commandments.

But what if we depend on God to keep those commandments? Will that save us?

 

Made Right by Keeping Commandments by God’s Power?

Luke answers that question in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11-12).

We need to see how good this man is. Like the ruler, he avoids obvious sins, he prays, he fasts, and he gives tithes. But there is one difference with the ruler: He thanks God for this, rather than claiming that he has done this on his own. Effectively he says, “Thank you, God, for working in me the desire and ability to keep Your commands. I could not have done it otherwise.”

That’s a very good statement. I hope you make similar statements.

So he’s a good, moral, religious man who recognizes that there is nothing he can do on his own to inherit eternal life.

What then is the problem?

Jesus contrasts him with the tax collector in Luke 18:13:

The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

And Jesus then says, “This man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

The tax collector is not a good, moral man; he probably hasn’t been fasting or tithing. Those differences obviously don’t lead to his salvation.

What does?

He admits he is a sinner. And he asks God for mercy.

The Pharisee says, “God, enable me to do righteous deeds, and then declare me righteous on basis of those God-enabled righteous deeds.” The tax collector says, “I am a sinner. I am without hope. Have mercy on me!”

All the good the Pharisee does not earn eternal life. Instead, they can be a trap, making him think he is right with God when he is not.

The Pharisee thinks he knows the answer to our question: How is man made right with God? His answer: “By God enabling him to keep the commandments.” Jesus says that never works.

The tax collector points us in the right direction; other vignettes in this passage clarify the answer further.

Made Right by Childlike Faith in the Crucified and Risen Savior

When people bring infants to Jesus, He says, “To such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:16-17).

Elsewhere, Scripture wans us not to be like children in some ways (for example, Ephesians 4:14). How are we to imitate children?

We are to trust God the way a child trusts his parents. He frequently will not understand how his parents lead him, or what his parents tell him to do. But a good child will follow his parents, knowing he is helpless without them.

Return, then, to the ruler. His fundamental issues is that he does not trust Jesus. He did not believe in Him like a child looking to his parents. He did not believe that in following Jesus he would gain – even if that meant giving away all his possessions.

And that type of faith is necessary if one is to be made right with God.

Jesus expands on the object of such saving faith in Luke 18:31-33, as He prophesies about his death and resurrection. But the disciples understand nothing (Luke 18:34). Why not?

They surely understand the words themselves. But they don’t understand how this can happen to the long-promised Messiah. Thus, they don’t understand saving faith! They don’t understand how their sins can be paid for, or how they can be righteous!

We must understand what they do not.

Above, we paraphrased Jesus’ words to the ruler as: “To inherit eternal life, you must be credited with Godlike character.”

How does this happen?

Tax collector simply calls out: “Have mercy on me, a sinner!”

Why does this man go down justified, declared righteous? How is he credited with Godlike character? Only on the basis of the perfect life, the atoning death, and the glorious resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV): “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, all our transgressions; Jesus fulfilled the Law, perfectly displaying the character of God. Through childlike faith in Him, God places all our sins on Him; He unites us with Him, and credits us with His righteous life. He therefore declares us righteous before Him – not on the basis of our efforts at obedience, nor on the basis of God-enabled obedience, but only on the basis of the death and resurrection of His Son.

 

So where are you?

Do you believe in Jesus? That is, do you believe that you are without hope apart from Him? Do you believe that even God-wrought obedience will never save you? Do you believe that humbly following Jesus with childlike faith is the only path to eternal life – indeed, the only path to fulfillment and joy?

Give up everything that hinders your following Him. Humble yourself before Him. Come, follow Him. And then know: You are right with God.

[This devotion is based on a sermon preached November 12, 2006 on Luke 18:9-34. You can listen to that sermon via this link.]

Draw Near to God Part II

[I derived portions of this post from two past sermons I have preached on Hebrews 4:14–16 and Hebrews 10:11–23 as well as from a past article I wrote. This post is the second in a two-part series. You can read the first article, “Draw Near to God Part I”, here. For context, I have kept a large portion of the introduction to Part I here.]

A few weeks ago I preached on Mark 1:1–13. I pointed out that Mark uses the same language at the beginning of the book at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:10–11) as he does at the end of the book at Jesus’ death on the cross (Mark 15:37–39). They each read:

Mark 1:10–11—10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

Mark 15:37–39—37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

I observed that Mark frames Jesus’ earthly ministry with proclamations of his identity as the Son of God paired with the tearing open of the heavens and the temple curtain. He does this in order to point us to this reality—Jesus secures access to the Father.[1] Here, I hope to take a deeper dive into what exactly that means for you if indeed your life is hidden in Christ. To do that, I turn to the book of Hebrews.

 

Drawing Near to God in Hebrews

The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to exhort Christians to draw near to God. Along with many great promises, Hebrews highlights two foundational reasons for us to draw near to God: (1) Jesus is our great high priest, and (2) Jesus is the perfect offering for sins. These two realities go hand-in-hand. In Part I of this two-part post, we dived deeply into the reality of Jesus as our great high priest. We noted that in the midst of sin, we are often tempted to unbelief in Jesus’ high priestly ministry; therefore, we often hesitate to draw near to God in repentance. Rather, we linger in a sinful sense of guilt and shame. But Heb 4:14–16 reveals that because of Jesus’ high priestly ministry we are welcomed with open arms into God’s presence and should draw near to him confidently. But Hebrews doesn’t stop there. It continues to pile on the reasons for why we should confidently draw near to God even in the day of our sin. Here in Part II we turn our attention to Jesus, the perfect offering for sins and how that too bolsters our confidence to draw near to God in repentance.

 

Jesus our Offering for Sins

Hebrews 10:19–22—19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Here, Hebrews 10:19 proclaims that “we have confidence to enter the holy places.” Therefore, Heb 10:22 exhorts us to “draw near.” The reason for our confidence is twofold. First, we are confident “since we have a great high priest over the house of God,” which we unpacked in Part I. The other reason for our confidence?—the blood of Jesus: “we have confidence to enter the holy places, by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19). The author of Hebrews binds up our confidence to draw near to God with Jesus’ sacrificial offering for sins on the cross. He sharpens his point by comparing Jesus’ offering for sins to the sin offerings under the Old Covenant. In doing so he shows the vast superiority and completeness of Jesus’ offering for sins. Consider a few verses just prior to vv. 19–22.

 

Our Perfect Offering for Sins

Hebrews 10:11–14—11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

For we as Christians, to not draw near to God in repentance because of a particular sin or sins is to effectively say that Jesus’ sacrifice is not enough, whether we realizes it or not. The author of Hebrews recognizes our proneness, even as believers, to unbelief. Therefore he offers us a glorious reminder of the reality of Jesus’ offering for sins so that we might never minimize its effectiveness. Here, Hebrews 10:11–14 compares the sin offerings of priests under the Old Covenant to that of Jesus’ sin offering of himself in order to show the superiority of Jesus’ offering. Notice the details of Old Covenant priests’ sacrificial work:

      • Every priest
      • Every priest has stood daily
      • Every priest repeatedly offers
      • Every priest repeatedly offers the same sacrifices
      • Every priest repeatedly offers the same sacrifices, which can never remove sins

Before Jesus, every priest under the Old Covenant had to repeatedly offer sacrifices for sins every single day, hence their daily standing (Heb 10:11). Furthermore, these sacrifices could not even take away sins! (Heb 10:11). But the one great high priest, Jesus, when he “offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12). After his sacrifice, Jesus’ sacrificial work was done, having sealed his victory (Heb 10:13). Where Old Covenant offerings could not take away sins, Jesus’ offering did away with sins forever and established the New Covenant in his blood (Heb 10:16–17; Jer 31:33–34). Indeed, “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb 10:14). The message is clear,  by his perfect offering for sins, Jesus perfects his people.

 

Access Secured

Hebrews 10:19–22—19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

So we turn our attention back to Hebrews 10:19–22. All of the details regarding Jesus’ perfect offering perfecting his people are packed into this one phrase, “by the blood of Jesus.” It’s Jesus’ blood alone that is our confidence to draw near to God. When the blood and water poured from Jesus’ side (John 19:34), “our hearts [were] sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies [were] washed with pure water” (Heb 10:22). An “evil conscience” is the equivalent of “an evil, unbelieving heart” (Heb 3:12). The very unbelief, then, that would tempt us to not draw near to God is what Jesus struck down when he died on the cross. Thus, because of this perfectly purifying work of Jesus’ perfect offering for sins on the cross, we have “full assurance” (Heb 10:22) to draw near to God, just as the author of Hebrews exhorts. And, by the same sacrifice, Jesus also made the way into God’s presence. Jesus opened what Hebrews 10:20 calls “the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” This should bring to mind Jesus’ crucifixion in Mark 15:37–39, referenced above. There, at his death on the cross, the curtain of the temple tore—a divine sign that complete access into God’s presence had been granted through Jesus’ bodily death. So, Jesus’ perfect offering for sins perfected us for God’s presence and opened for us a way into God’s presence. This is why you should confidently draw near to God. Even in the day of your sin you should confidently draw near to God. Even in the day of that one particular sin that seems to continually plague and beset you—draw near to God confidently, because your sin and this purpose, your drawing near to God, are the very reasons Jesus offered the perfect sin offering, his life.

 

Jesus our Great High Priest and our Perfect Offering for Sins

Jesus’ dual role as the great high priest of our faith and the perfect offering for our sins clears the path for us as Christians to fly to God in repentance, not away from him in shame. Take encouragement in this, brothers and sisters. And when you find yourself weary in your continuing battle with the flesh, don’t pick up again that old helmet of unbelief. Instead, remember to don your helmet of salvation—salvation won for you by Jesus our great high priest and our perfect sin offering—and continue to fight. And, fly back to the throne of grace, where you are always welcome with open arms, and where Jesus sits ready to pour upon you mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16).

Draw Near To God Part I

[I derived portions of this post from two past sermons I have preached on Hebrews 4:14–16 and Hebrews 10:11–23. This post will be the first in a two-part series.]

 

A few weeks ago I preached on Mark 1:1–13. I pointed out that Mark uses the same language at the beginning of the book at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:10–11) as he does at the end of the book at Jesus’ death on the cross (Mark 15:37–39). They each read:

 Mark 1:10–11—10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

Mark 15:37–39—37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

I observed that Mark frames Jesus’ earthly ministry with proclamations of his identity as the Son of God paired with the tearing open of the heavens and the temple curtain. He does this in order to point us to this reality—Jesus secures access to the Father.[1] Here, I hope to take a deeper dive into what exactly that means for you if indeed your life is hidden in Christ. To do that, I turn to the book of Hebrews.

 

Drawing Near to God in Hebrews

The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to exhort Christians to draw near to God. Along with many great promises, Hebrews highlights two foundational reasons for us to draw near to God: (1) Jesus is our great high priest, and (2) Jesus is the perfect offering for sins. These two realities go hand-in-hand. Here we will consider Jesus as our great high priest. In a forthcoming post, we will consider Jesus as our perfect sin offering.

 

Jesus our Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14–16—14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In light of this passage and the reality that God is the source of our life and joy, the natural question is, “Why does Scripture need to exhort us as Christians to draw near to God?” The short answer is, (1) we still sin, and (2) we are prone to unbelief. Thus, in response to a particular sin or sinful moment, the sin of unbelief tempts us to not trust in the work of Jesus. Therefore, we do not draw near to God in repentance. Rather, we often linger just outside the throne room of grace choosing to stay in our sense of guilt. This passage, though, gives us astounding reasons to not hesitate but to instead make a confident mad dash to our heavenly Father, even in the day of our sin. And these reasons find their footing in Jesus as our great high priest.

According to Hebrews 4:14–16, we should draw near to God because of two amazing realities: (1) Jesus is our great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, and (2) Jesus is our sympathetic high priest. Let’s consider these in turn.

 

Our Great High Priest Who Has Passed through the Heavens

First, Hebrews 4:14 encourages us to hold fast to our confession and draw near to God, because we have a great high priest, God’s own Son, who has passed through the heavens. In order to better understand the significance of Jesus’ high priestly ministry and his passing through the heavens, it is helpful to consider the Old Testament (OT) office of high priest that anticipated him. Thankfully, Hebrews gives us help here.

Recall, the location and length of the OT high priest’s work. He made atonement for the people in the tabernacle or temple. Specifically, he entered into the most holy place, behind the curtain where the ark of the covenant and God’s presence rested. He entered here only once a year (Lev 16:15–19; Heb 9:7). Furthermore, the ministry of each OT high priest only lasted as long as he lived. It was not permanent because he eventually died. Hebrews makes clear, as we will see below, that this location of ministry and this length of ministry were limiting factors with regard to atonement. The work of OT high priests was never going to solve man’s sin problem. The weight of man’s sin against an infinitely holy God demanded eternal priestly work in heaven itself, a place only one of divine nature could enter.

Unlike the OT priests, Jesus passed through the heavens (4:14). That is, in love, God sent Jesus, his Son, to earth in order to die, rise from the dead, and ascend beyond the heavens back into eternity. And Jesus did ascend, passing through the heavens. And he entered into the very throne room of God. And there he lives forever to make intercession for you! Only Jesus the high priest, as fully God and fully man, could enter into God’s presence to minister forever on behalf of men. Hebrews strikes this glorious chord of God’s salvation plan over and over.

Hebrews 7:24–25—24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 8:1–2—1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

 Hebrews 9:24—For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Therefore, we can confidently draw near to God, into his very throne room, because Jesus, the Son of God, our eternal great high priest has gone in before us on our behalf.

 

Our Sympathetic Great High Priest

Second, Hebrews 4:15 encourages us to draw near to God, because we have a sympathetic high priest in Jesus. Again, Hebrews reminds us of the nature of OT high priests so that we can appreciate Jesus’ priestly ministry all the more.

The OT high priest was able to “deal gently with the ignorant and wayward” because of his own human nature and weakness (Heb 5:2). Now, we might be tempted to think that because Jesus never sinned, he could never relate to or understand our struggles. However, it is precisely the opposite. Because Jesus never sinned, he understands our struggles more than any other high priest ever could. Consider an illustration, which I heard from a former pastor of mine.

Imagine you go to the local fair or circus. There you see a strong man performing great feats of strength. This strong man takes a sturdy metal bar in his mighty grip. And, using his great strength, he cranks down on the bar until it finally gives under the extreme pressure and bends. This same strong man then takes another metal bar in his hands. Again, he cranks down on the bar using just as much force as before. This time, however, the bar does not bend. So he regathers himself, mustering up every last ounce of strength he has, and he cranks on the bar with greater and greater force. Still, the bar does not bend.

So now, I pose to you the same question my former pastor posed: Which bar endured the most force? Well the answer is obvious, isn’t it? The bar that never bent endured the most force. What’s the point? Well, we, of course, are the bar that bends. When temptation applies enough force on us, we give in to the pressure and sin. Often this does not require much force at all. However, Jesus is the bar that never bent. Because he never sinned, Jesus endured infinitely more pressure from temptation than you or I ever have or ever could. Therefore, Jesus is more intimately acquainted with temptation than any man before or after. Thus, Jesus understands you and sympathizes with you more infinitely and more intimately than you could ever imagine. This is Jesus’ disposition toward sinners. He is sympathetic, understanding, and welcoming.

We can confidently draw near to God, into his very throne room, because Jesus, our sympathetic high priest intercedes for sinners based on his sinless life.

 

Access Secured

Just as we saw in Mark’s gospel, Jesus our great high priest has opened the curtain to heaven’s mercy seat for us. Notice the purpose of our drawing near in Hebrews 4:14–16. We draw near in order to receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. When are we ever in greater need of help than in a moment of sin? Answer: Never. And what awaits us if we will but draw near to God? Answer: The very grace and mercy we need. In Jesus our great high priest, we find abundant reasons to not linger outside the throne room. Just look through the torn opening into the heavenly throne room, as Hebrews 4:14–16 invites us to. What do we see? There we see Jesus, our eternal, sympathetic high priest, sent for us by God, interceding on our behalf. And suddenly, our breath catches in our chest as he turns to look at us with a smile. And we hear an unbelievable, heavenly invitation ring out from the throne of our Triune God, who bids, “Why do you linger? Draw near. And come in boldly, my child. You are welcome here.” Let us heed these words joyfully, especially in the day of our sin.

[1] See Mark L. Strauss, Mark, ZECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 72.

Know You are Loved

See what great love the Father has given us
that we should be called God’s children– and we are!
(1 John 3:1 CSB)

This is the Good News – that the Father loves us. That we are precious to Him. That we are in His intimate family. That His love is essential to His character, and thus will never change.

If you are in Christ Jesus, if you believe in Him as your Savior, your Lord, your Treasure, if you love Christ Jesus – that is the result of the Father’s love for you. “We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19). “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

We must remember His love every day – His love that never changes, His love that never ends, His love that is not dependent on anything we say, on anything we do, on anything we accomplish.

What happens when we forget His love?

  • When criticized, we either are defensive (feeling that if the criticism is correct, we won’t be loved), or are controlled by the critic (trying to win back his love by changing our behavior).
  • When feeling depressed and hopeless, we either plaster a smile on our faces, stifling the feelings, or turn away from God, thinking He has let us down.
  • When someone wrongs us, we either aim to convince the perpetrator of his sin, or pretend we’re ok and live a normal life outwardly while bleeding internally.
  • When gossiped about, we either wonder if we deserve it, or frantically search social media to track the terrible things being said about us and then do whatever we can to get even.
  • When tired, we either gut it out and get more and more tired, or try to create our own rest, getting angry and annoyed with those who interfere.

All these negative responses come from letting our feelings drive us – feelings of hurt, of inferiority, of inadequacy, of exhaustion, of depression. Jesus never says, “Your feelings will set you free.” Instead, He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). The truth that sets us free includes the truth of the Father’s love for us. When we know we are loved – when we know that the Father has declared us righteous, has justified us completely by His grace through faith in Jesus, and thus He accepts us and sees us as His own precious possession – then we are free from the chains that compel us to those negative responses. Confident in His love, we can respond differently:

  • We don’t have to let the face of the criticizer or oppressor dominate our thoughts. We can seek the Father’s loving face – and respond out of that security.
  • We don’t have to pretend everything is fine when hurting. We can cry out, like a little child with her daddy. We can weep and mourn – while holding on to the One Who loves us.
  • We can listen to critics and pray to see what is behind the criticism – yes, what ways we may have failed and need to change by God’s grace, but also what hurts and pains may be motivating the criticism, and thus be able to acknowledge that pain and stand beside the hurting criticizer.
  • We can endure the trials and tribulations of this world, not because tomorrow will be better – it may be worse! – but because nothing can separate us from the Father’s love; He will bring us safely through even the valley of the shadow of death to His heavenly Kingdom, and Jesus will return to reign forever.
  • We can see the troubled Christians around us not as problems to solve, but as others loved by God whom we can help endure in hope until they see Jesus face to face.
  • We can follow our Savior in displaying meekness – which is strength leveraged for the good of another.
  • We can know that when we are wrong or when we sin, we are still loved.

So do you feel hurt? Do you feel despairing? Don’t suppress the feelings – rather, thank God for them. But don’t let those feelings control you. Rather, use the feelings to prompt you to remember the truth of God’s love.

That’s how Jeremiah responded to feelings of despair (read Lamentations 3:17-18 to hear the depth of his feelings). In the midst of horrors far beyond what we have experienced, the prophet says:

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24).

Call to mind the Father’s love. Have that hope. Know that love every morning – every beautiful, peaceful sunrise and every horrible, pain-wracked break of day.

Do you wonder if the Father loves you like this? He does, if you are in Christ. Do you then wonder if you are in Christ? If so, come to Him! The only requirement is that you are weary and heavily burdened! (Matthew 11:28). So repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15).

Friends, in Jesus you are loved. Today. Tomorrow. For all eternity. God is faithful to His character – and thus He is faithful to love us now and forever. Remember that love. Call it to mind. And then bask in that love.

[Beth and I were privileged to take part in the annual Treasuring Christ Together retreat October 19 to 21. I try here to synthesize ideas presented and discussed at the retreat. Several different talks prompted this devotion – including those by Sean Cordell, Lance Parrot, Nathan Knight, Kenny Stokes, and Tim Cain. Anything you think particularly well said probably did not originate with me! Unless noted, Scriptures are ESV.]

 

 

What is the Gospel?

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” That’s how Mark begins his Gospel. Similarly, Jesus’ first statement in Mark is: “”The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

But what is the Gospel? What are we to believe?

Consider these eight elements of the Gospel stated or implied in this passage.

1) God is King!

Jesus says the Kingdom of God is at hand. Who is king in the Kingdom of God?

  • Not Joe Biden
  • Not Donald Trump

God is king in the Kingdom of God.

And though we see all around us sin and misery and disaster, rebellion against God, anger at God, despising of the name of Jesus, God assures us: “I am in control; I am bringing about My wise and good purposes.”

In Daniel 7, God appears on His fiery throne, with ten thousand time ten thousand standing before Him. Then one like a Son of Man comes to Him – picturing Jesus coming to the Father – and the Father gives Jesus “dominion and glory and a kingdom” – that is, all authority. Daniel then tells us He is the king not only of the Jews, but of all peoples and nations. His kingdom will never end; He reigns forever.

So God is King. Jesus is King. No one rivals His power. As Jesus says in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Thus the Gospel begins with this truth: God is King. Jesus is King.

2) His Kingdom is at hand!

God gave Daniel that vision more than 500 years before the time of Jesus. The people have waited centuries for God’s Kingdom to come. Finally, John the Baptist comes to prepare the way for the promised King, in fulfillment of prophesies through Isaiah and Malachi. John knows he is only a forerunner, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I” (Mark 1:7). Finally, the time is at hand (Mark 1:15). The return of the King is soon.

3) This is terrible news for God’s enemies

The Gospel, the Good News, is terrible news for those who remain God’s enemies.

From the first man and woman, from Adam and Eve, all men have been rebels against God. All of us are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). We have rebelled by saying:

  • We know better than God how to run our lives
  • We know better than He who we really are
  • We know better than He how we can have security, joy, fulfillment

Since God created us to love Him, to delight in Him, to show what He is like, we have thus violated the very purpose of our creation. God therefore has a perfect right to dispose of us – as we would dispose of a mug that leaks when we fill it with coffee. Indeed, the Apostle Paul tells us in that when Jesus comes from heaven, He will inflict “vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

You do not want to be among God’s enemies on that day. But you need not be His enemy:

4) This can be Good News for you!

Mark says this is the beginning of the Good News of Jesus for you do not have to remain a rebel against God. You do not have to suffer the eternal punishment away from the Lord who is the source of everything good in you.

How can that happen? I can I change from being God’s enemy?

  • You don’t have to make yourself presentable before God
  • You don’t have to do some great task to prove you are worthy
  • You don’t have to do thousands of acts of penance

Instead, Jesus says you must simply “repent and believe the Gospel.” That is, you must repent and believe the four elements of the Gospel we’ve already stated: God is King, the Kingdom of God is at hand, this is terrible news for God’s enemies, and this can be Good News for you. And you must believe the four remaining elements:

5) Jesus is the Son of God

We see this in Mark 1:11. Jesus comes to John the Baptist at the Jordan River. John baptizes Him, lowering Him under the water, and raising Him up. Then: “A voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’”

If Jesus is the Son of God – what must be true about Him?

Picture your biological children. Or picture your biological parents. Can’t you see your likeness in them? There is a family resemblance to you, isn’t there?

Just so with Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God, “the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Indeed, Jesus tells His disciples. “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

  1. Jesus is man, but without sin

So Jesus is the Son of God – but as we have seen, Daniel 7 calls Jesus the “Son of Man.” Indeed, Jesus refers to Himself by this title dozens of times.

The son of Mary, the one born in Bethlehem, who grew up in Nazareth, who taught in Galilee, who was crucified rose from the dead outside of Jerusalem, was a genuine man. Like you and me, He ate, He drank, He got tired, He had flesh and bones. He was human. Really human.

He was like us in every way except one.

Jesus is the only human who never sinned, who never rebelled against God. That’s why God says at His baptism: “With You I am well pleased.”

  1. Jesus died for the sins of all who believe the Gospel

Jesus tells His listeners, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” – because that is the only way to be put right with God. Your sin, your rebellion, your arrogance separates you from God. You are by nature under His wrath, condemned to that eternal punishment. But if you believe in this Gospel, if you believe in Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Treasure, God takes your sin, your condemnation, and assigns it entirely to Jesus hanging on the cross. Once Jesus takes the punishment you deserve, you yourself, united to Him, become well-pleasing to God. For when God looks upon you, He sees His well-pleasing Son.

Thus, the only possible forgiveness of sins is through faith in risen Savior.

8) Finally: God not only saves us from condemnation but God grants us Himself!

John says, “I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). That is: In Christ, you will be covered with, filled with God Himself!

Once the Spirit fills you, He bears fruit in your life: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Thus, by the Spirit God is transforming you into the likeness of Jesus. You are being made like Him now and will be perfected on the Last Day.

Thus the Gospel includes not only freedom from condemnation, but freedom from slavery to sin now, and the promise of perfection when Jesus returns:

  • No more sin
  • No more temptation
  • No more lust
  • No more jealousy
  • No more fits of anger

God will delight in you as He delights in His Son, and you will delight in Jesus as the Father delights in Him.

This is the Gospel, friends. Know it. Believe it. Proclaim it. Live it. Submit to your King. Rejoice in Your Savior. By the Spirit, walk as children of light. And eagerly anticipate Jesus’ return.

[This devotion is based on part of the October 3, 2021 sermon on Mark 1:1-15. You can watch that service at this link; the sermon audio is available here.]