- You can't love God and hate the church. (But that doesn't mean you have to agree with everything that is going on in current Evangelical churches either).
- According to the Bible, it is not just your badness that falls short, it is your goodness too. (So just showing up for church doesn't give me any brownie points? What about all the pain I am going through! Has God heard my preacher?)
- We don't do good works to fall in love with God, we fall in love and then do good works. (Just like obeying the speed limit really doesn't make me love that cop sitting behind that sign.)
Showing posts with label Filthy Rags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filthy Rags. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Good stuff from Colossians
I have started reading Tullian Tchividjian's book, "Jesus + Nothing = Everything." At the same time, I am listening to Matt Chandler preach through Colossians. Kind of a double whammy, since Tullian takes a lot of what he says from Colossians. Anyway, here are some thoughts/quotes from the first 3 sermons by Matt.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Romans 2:5
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
In order to have salvation, we need to be saved from something. So what is it that we are saved from? The obvious, but I believe wrong answer, is sin. While God cannot stand sin, I believe that there is more to it than that, and this verse hits it hard.
But because of your hard and impenitent heart This is what we need salvation from, the heart that causes sin. The hardened and unrepentant heart that says, I will not, I cannot yield to God and His ways. The word "hardened" carries with it the image of calluses. We are somewhat hardened by our constant exposure to the world that we live in, especially when we don't stop to view things from God's perspective. When we see others who have more or don't suffer as we do, it can create feelings of hurt. These feelings, if not dealt with, can and will create a toughening of our protective shells.
Two illustrations quickly come to mind. One shows what an idiot I can be, so I will share that one.
I was working in the garage on a project and got my thumb too close to the blade on the table saw. My first response was to say, "It is merely a flesh wound." A throbbing, painful, bloody flesh wound. So I go in the house, clean it up and bandage it. My wife thinks I should go to the emergency room, but it don't. 24 hours later, I am in the med center getting stitches. By now the wound has begun to heal, and the doctor tells me that I should have come in sooner. He goes on to state that I will probably have a permanent numbness in the tip of my thumb, which I now do. The tip of my thumb has no feeling, which is dog-gone irritating when trying to play video games. Not to mention, the rest of my thumb feels sensitive around that area when I am out in the cold.
My thumb was cut, and because I did not treat it correctly, the inside has a permanent callus that has no feeling. Because our heats have lost their feeling, we do not repent. Why change when there is no feeling of wrongdoing? And what a better picture of our current world than to say they feel no wrong! Not only do they feel no wrong, but they berate those who do. Christians who stand for something (and not always in the best ways, I will admit) are viewed as intolerant. Abortion, homosexuality, lying, and all of the rest of the commandments are viewed as outdated.
Even within the church, and that is to whom Paul is writing, there is this intolerance of others who do not see things as we do. So just like the Pharisees, we put heavy burdens on them that we ourselves are unwilling to carry. We pressure people to tithe, stop drinking any alcohol, don't go to R rated movies, dress a certain way (especially on Sunday), etc. Not that these things are bad, but they do not ensure salvation.
So what is it we need to be saved from? The answer is ourselves. Our hard and impenitent hearts that get between us and who God would have us to be. And the church-goer needs this every bit as much as anyone. It is because of this that we are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
When God's righteous judgment is revealed, what will that look like?
Here is what it won't look like: You, come on it because you followed the commandments, you attended church and gave a tithe of your income. You, come in because you stayed away from alcohol and drunks and people who sin.
Here is what it will look like: You, come on in because you gave me drink when I was thirsty. You fed me when I was hungry. You clothed me when I was naked. In all that you said, and in all that you did, you sought only to show your love for me. Enter into my kingdom.
God's kindness should lead us toward repentance. Toward a change. To where I no longer value the things that I valued, but now I value God, and in all I do, I show that to the world. So now, when I give a cup of water, it is not to earn God's favor (hand him a filthy rag), but it is because for me there is no other choice. I love others because of His great love for me. I serve others because of my great love for Him.
In order to have salvation, we need to be saved from something. So what is it that we are saved from? The obvious, but I believe wrong answer, is sin. While God cannot stand sin, I believe that there is more to it than that, and this verse hits it hard.
But because of your hard and impenitent heart This is what we need salvation from, the heart that causes sin. The hardened and unrepentant heart that says, I will not, I cannot yield to God and His ways. The word "hardened" carries with it the image of calluses. We are somewhat hardened by our constant exposure to the world that we live in, especially when we don't stop to view things from God's perspective. When we see others who have more or don't suffer as we do, it can create feelings of hurt. These feelings, if not dealt with, can and will create a toughening of our protective shells.
Two illustrations quickly come to mind. One shows what an idiot I can be, so I will share that one.
I was working in the garage on a project and got my thumb too close to the blade on the table saw. My first response was to say, "It is merely a flesh wound." A throbbing, painful, bloody flesh wound. So I go in the house, clean it up and bandage it. My wife thinks I should go to the emergency room, but it don't. 24 hours later, I am in the med center getting stitches. By now the wound has begun to heal, and the doctor tells me that I should have come in sooner. He goes on to state that I will probably have a permanent numbness in the tip of my thumb, which I now do. The tip of my thumb has no feeling, which is dog-gone irritating when trying to play video games. Not to mention, the rest of my thumb feels sensitive around that area when I am out in the cold.
My thumb was cut, and because I did not treat it correctly, the inside has a permanent callus that has no feeling. Because our heats have lost their feeling, we do not repent. Why change when there is no feeling of wrongdoing? And what a better picture of our current world than to say they feel no wrong! Not only do they feel no wrong, but they berate those who do. Christians who stand for something (and not always in the best ways, I will admit) are viewed as intolerant. Abortion, homosexuality, lying, and all of the rest of the commandments are viewed as outdated.
Even within the church, and that is to whom Paul is writing, there is this intolerance of others who do not see things as we do. So just like the Pharisees, we put heavy burdens on them that we ourselves are unwilling to carry. We pressure people to tithe, stop drinking any alcohol, don't go to R rated movies, dress a certain way (especially on Sunday), etc. Not that these things are bad, but they do not ensure salvation.
So what is it we need to be saved from? The answer is ourselves. Our hard and impenitent hearts that get between us and who God would have us to be. And the church-goer needs this every bit as much as anyone. It is because of this that we are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
When God's righteous judgment is revealed, what will that look like?
Here is what it won't look like: You, come on it because you followed the commandments, you attended church and gave a tithe of your income. You, come in because you stayed away from alcohol and drunks and people who sin.
Here is what it will look like: You, come on in because you gave me drink when I was thirsty. You fed me when I was hungry. You clothed me when I was naked. In all that you said, and in all that you did, you sought only to show your love for me. Enter into my kingdom.
God's kindness should lead us toward repentance. Toward a change. To where I no longer value the things that I valued, but now I value God, and in all I do, I show that to the world. So now, when I give a cup of water, it is not to earn God's favor (hand him a filthy rag), but it is because for me there is no other choice. I love others because of His great love for me. I serve others because of my great love for Him.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
This might not make you feel good.
What does it mean to be a Christian? Many would say that it involves doing good things and being a good person, trying to please God, and maybe even going to church. I say that is a bunch of crap. And I think Paul would agree with me.
Galatians 2:16 says, "a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."
While a Christian may and should do good things, there is a fundamental difference between trying to please God and being good, and falling on my face before God and totally depending on the grace, mercy and blood of Christ. If I rely on Him alone, then my response is because of what He has done, and not what I can or should do.
Proverbs 1:7 "Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." (The Message)
Paul started with God, but we often start with ourselves. What can I do to make things right? Answer: Nothing! Are not all our righteous acts filthy rags before God? (Isaiah 64:6) Here, God, let me take this filthy rag and clean up this mess I've made. Oh, that looks worse now, doesn't it. Wait, I have plenty more filthy rags where that one came from...
Sounds silly doesn't it?
Christ fulfilled the law. On the cross he said, "It is finished," and not "The rest is up to you now."
I love verse 19 of Galatians 2, "For through the law I died to law so that I might live for God."
Can he make it any clearer? If we do not die to the law, and we do that only through Christ, we cannot live for God! Death first, then life. Carry our cross first, then we get to be his disciple. But that doesn't always preach so good, does it.
Remember the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. One thanked God that he was not a gentile sinner, one fell on his face and begged forgiveness. Who was justified before God? Someone please remind me.
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
PS A word to the religious right: turning from our wicked ways (legislating morality, over-turning Roe v Wade, picketing abortion clinics, etc.) is meaningless without humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking his face first. Sorry.
Galatians 2:16 says, "a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."
While a Christian may and should do good things, there is a fundamental difference between trying to please God and being good, and falling on my face before God and totally depending on the grace, mercy and blood of Christ. If I rely on Him alone, then my response is because of what He has done, and not what I can or should do.
Proverbs 1:7 "Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." (The Message)
Paul started with God, but we often start with ourselves. What can I do to make things right? Answer: Nothing! Are not all our righteous acts filthy rags before God? (Isaiah 64:6) Here, God, let me take this filthy rag and clean up this mess I've made. Oh, that looks worse now, doesn't it. Wait, I have plenty more filthy rags where that one came from...
Sounds silly doesn't it?
Christ fulfilled the law. On the cross he said, "It is finished," and not "The rest is up to you now."
I love verse 19 of Galatians 2, "For through the law I died to law so that I might live for God."
Can he make it any clearer? If we do not die to the law, and we do that only through Christ, we cannot live for God! Death first, then life. Carry our cross first, then we get to be his disciple. But that doesn't always preach so good, does it.
Remember the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. One thanked God that he was not a gentile sinner, one fell on his face and begged forgiveness. Who was justified before God? Someone please remind me.
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
PS A word to the religious right: turning from our wicked ways (legislating morality, over-turning Roe v Wade, picketing abortion clinics, etc.) is meaningless without humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking his face first. Sorry.
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