The Christian Walk

After hearing a sermon, there are some key points or feelings you usually take from it, but it is often difficult to remember the details.  Since my sermon was about the Christian walk, I wanted provide some of the details from the sermon in writing, so they can be remembered and referred back to;  Because if we miss the purpose of the Christian walk…we will miss Jesus. 

Below are the 3 main points (from Col. 2) I communicated followed by the quote by Tullian Tchividjian (Presbyterian Pastor and great grandson of Billy Graham).  His quote sums up beautifully what the Christian walk is about and how we are to grow in it.

1.       You are completely full in Christ.  Everything you need, in Christ, you already possess.  So don’t seek fullness anywhere else, you have it.

2.       You have triumph because of Christ’s triumph.  It isn’t about what you do but what Christ has already done for you.   

3.       You live the life you are called to live because of your love for Christ, not to gain the love of Christ.

“I’m realizing that the sin I need removed daily is precisely my narcissistic understanding of spiritual progress. I think too much about how I’m doing, if I’m growing, whether I’m doing it right or not. I spend too much time pondering my failure, brooding over my spiritual successes, and wondering why, when it’s all said and done, I don’t seem to be getting that much better. In short, I spend way too much time thinking about me and what I need to do and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what he’s already done. And what I’ve discovered, ironically, is that the more I focus on my need to get better the worse I actually get. I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. After all, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on “how he was doing”

So, by all means work! But the hard work is not what you think it is–your personal improvement and moral progress. The hard work is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you–which will inevitably produce personal improvement and moral progress. Progress in obedience happens when our hearts realize that God’s love for us does not depend on our progress in obedience. Martin Luther’s got a point: “It is not imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.”

The real question, then, is: What are you going to do now that you don’t have to do anything? What will your life look like lived under the banner which reads “It is finished?”

What you’ll discover is that once the gospel frees you from having to do anything for Jesus, you’ll want to do everything for Jesus so that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do” you’ll do it all to the glory of God…That’s real progress”

*from June 2011 Newsletter Article 

Sharing in the Death & Resurrection (Part 3 of 3)

Our old self is dead.  It is no longer there. 

The reign of sin is gone.  It no longer has the authority it once had.

Now what?

The death of our old self and dethronement of the reign of sin is not the end.  We not only participate in the death of Christ, but the resurrection as well!  Christ’s resurrection is also our resurrection.  We are risen with him and given life (Rom 6:5-10)…but why? 

A boy is coloring a picture, and in his excitement handles the crayons a little too aggressively and breaks one.  He is upset because he needed that color, but now it is broken.  He looks at his mother as she reaches into the crayon box and pulls out another crayon of the same color.  Why is she giving the boy another crayon?  Is it so he can break it just like he did the last one?  No!  She is giving him one so he can use it for its intended purpose.  To color. 

Our lives were broken.  Sin destroyed us.  What did God do for us?  He sent his Son for us.  Jesus died for our sins, and then rose from the dead to give us life.  Does Christ die, rise, and give us a new life so we can break it again?  No!  He gives us a new life so we can live it out for its intended purpose: God’s glory!  Living out the power of the resurrection means living life the way God intends for us to live it, through the power of Christ’s finished work.  It means fearing God and obeying his commands (Eccl. 12:13).  He didn’t die and rise so you could be an observer.  He did it to give you life with him, life that participates in what God is doing.  He did it to change you.   The whole object of all that Christ has done in his grace is to deliver us finally and completely out of sin and death and to bring us into this new life, which is his own life, which is indeed the life of God.

The Resurection...why does it matter?

What if there was no Easter?  What if Christ was born (Christmas) and then died on the cross (Good Friday), and it ended there?  Think about it.  Do you believe that Christ rose from the dead?  that the event was significant for some reason other than what happened on the cross? 

The Apostle Paul realized that there were people having these questions, so he addressed this issue in a letter to the church in Corinth.  Here is Paul’s take on the resurrection: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men…If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1Cor 15:14,17,19,32b)”

Paul could not make it any clearer: No resurrection, no Christianity.  No resurrection, no eternal life.  No resurrection, no payment for sins.  “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,” Paul declared (1Cor 15:20a).  So there is Christianity, life, and payment.  Let’s think about how this all comes together through the resurrection.

In the Old Covenant, priests would have to make sacrifices day after day for the sins of the people (Heb. 10:11).  Why?  Because the sacrifices that were made were for the sins the people committed…they couldn’t cover future sins.  So, since they (and we) daily sinned, the sacrifices had to continue.  On top of that, the sacrifices they made did not take away sins (pay the penalty for them) they were just a sacrifice to show that sins needed to be paid for (Heb. 10:11).  Jesus, on the other hand, only had to sacrifice himself once (Heb 10:12), and that sacrifice took away sins of the past, present, and future. 

What does the resurrection have to do with this?  First, His sacrifice took away sins because Jesus was able to die in our place for our sins.  This was possible not only through the cross, but the resurrection as well.  Jesus had to die for our sins (the cross) but he also had to conquer sin (the resurrection).  Death is a result of sin, so in rising from the dead, Jesus conquered sin.  His resurrection is victory for Christ and for us.  The cross was the payment and the resurrection was the victory.  The resurrection gives Christ the ability and authority to not just die as a sacrifice for sins, but to take our sins away.  (cf. 1Cor 15:54-56)

Second, Christ’s resurrection doesn’t just take away past sins, but future as well.  Christ is the sacrifice for our sins, and in rising from the dead he has become our living sacrifice.  He is not lying dead on an altar like the animal sacrifices.  He is alive; interceding for us (Rom. 8:34).  His resurrection made his sacrifice one that lives on.  We don’t have to wait for another sacrifice…because of the resurrection we can have life, be forgiven, and have hope that our sins do not get the last say.  The resurrection makes his sacrifice effectual forever. 

Spend some time this Easter season to really think about the resurrection.  Think about what it means.  Think about what it does in you.  Think about the gravity of it.  The Christian faith depends on the resurrection being a real.  Is it real for you?  Not just in your head…but have you experienced the power of the resurrection in you?  Dwell on this.  Let it change you! 

What You Didn’t Ask For

What do you want for Christmas?  That is the question we are asking our parents, spouses, kids, and grandkids.  We want to make sure the gift we get them is something they want.  So much thought and money are put into these gifts that will, in a year, be obsolete and collecting dust.  What if it were different?  What if we thought like Peter?

Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they saw a crippled man being carried to the gate to beg for money.  Every day this man was carried there to beg, because it was money he needed to survive (being crippled he couldn't work).  Or so he thought.

As Peter and John passed the crippled man, he begged them for money.  Peter's response began how we normally respond, "Silver and gold I do not have."  Translation: I don't have any money.  But Peter continued with these words that should fill us with awe: "but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"  The man leaped to his feet and began praising God as he walked away.  He got something he didn't ask for…but something he needed! (Acts 3:1-10)

What we all need is God.  We were made for Him, so deep within us is a longing for Him.  Augustine puts it best in saying "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee?"  He is what we all truly want.  He is what we all truly need. 

Therefore, we must ask ourselves how our gifts, conversations, traditions, and everything else this Christmas can point to Christ.  Peter's main purpose in healing the crippled man was not that he would walk, but that he and others would know Christ.  This act led to people wondering how this happened, giving Peter the opportunity to preach one of the greatest sermons ever preached in Acts 3:11-26           

Here are some ideas of gifts that can point to Christ: One of the best gifts for this is a book that challenges, encourages, and fuels your passion for Christ.  Check the blog this month – I will be posting recommendations of books to give as gifts for different types of people, i.e. kids, couples, parents, thinkers, etc.  For other gifts, think of things that stir their affections for Christ.  Is it listening to music? Buy a CD and put a note about how you hope the creativity and art of song would help them fall deeper in love with the wonder of God.  Is it creating music?  Buy an instrument, equipment, or lessons and tell them your hope that this ability would cause them to worship God much deeper.  Is it art?  Buy a canvas and tell them you hope that in painting that would see the beauty of God and His canvas.  Is it being around family? Gardening?  Photography?  Coffee? 

The key here is finding what makes them know and love Jesus more.  This gives purpose to giving.  It makes it not just about the receiver, but about the ultimate giver.  We live in a world now that has hijacked Christmas, and it will take everything in us to display the true meaning of Christmas to our family. 

Don't give the gift they ask for…give the gift they need.      


*adopted from December 2010 Newsletter

A Bad Reputation

Pain.  That is what I felt emotionally.  The comment was made casually yet sunk to the depths of my bones.  It was real.  It was honest.  It was eye opening. 

We were sitting around the family room after dinner with our extended family having casual conversation when the topic of Christianity came up.  As the conversation progressed, George* decided to speak up.  His eyebrows were raised, his shoulders tense, and he spoke with a passionate frustration as he gazed at the floor: "They are hypocrites.  They are no better, and often worse, than people who aren't Christian.  Why would I want to be a part of that?" 

I have spoken to many people before and diffused their view of hypocrisy in Christianity, so it wasn’t the accusation that surprised me.  I sat there speechless, thinking of what to say.  Do I tell him how Christianity is the only religion where you don't need to reach some moral or spiritual standard to get in the door?  Then I could explain that we are saved by no merit of our own, only by the work of Christ.  But I could tell this would have done no good.  What if I told him to not focus on how Christians act and behave, since we are all struggling sinners in need of Christ, rather look to the Bible and what Christians claim to believe.  But I felt like saying this would be like telling someone to not judge a restaurant by the actual quality of the food and service, but by the restaurants philosophy and operating guidelines.  Or to not judge a car by how it actually performs, but by how the company wanted it to.  That just doesn't make sense.  I could not think of anything constructive to say.  I sat there…speechless.

It hit me hard that night that this was a reality for many people.  A large percentage of people's biggest obstacle to faith is they very people who claim to believe it.  We are our own worst enemy.  It is time we admit and accept that we now live in a world where Christianity has a bad name.  This is not the 1950's anymore where going to church and being a Christian is seen as a respectable thing.  This is a different world today, and we have a bad reputation.

We all have experiences with companies that lead us to not trust them.  From a bad service experience to the large companies such as Enron, Firestone, BP who had a major shortcoming that tainted the image of the whole company.  Whatever the reason, this we can know: it is extremely difficult to recover from a bad reputation.  Companies must go above and beyond in hopes of recovering.  We see this now with BP, as they are now showing commercials to announce their efforts to clean up the spill.  They are seeking to gain the publics trust again. 

So what can we do to regain the publics trust in the church?  I believe we will regain a good reputation when we start acting like our faith calls us to.  When we start looking radically different then the rest of the world…and not just because we have plans on Sunday morning.  Our time, talent, and treasure should all be used for the kingdom.  We can no longer just sit around and hope.  I am calling all of us to either get in the game or get out of the game.  We can't afford anyone just sitting on the bench.  The stakes are too high, the work is too great, the need is too deep.

[This post is adopted from my October 2010 Newsletter]