Saturday, April 28, 2012

Grow in Godliness: Let's Do This

We began this series on growing in godliness by looking at Philippians 2:12-13 which says,  
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
I hope the last few posts have given you some ideas about how you can work towards the goal of growing in godliness by the power of God who is at work in you. I pray you will use this summer to grow. Cry out to God and ask that he help you not waste it. 


In closing, I'd like to give you a two quotes from JC Ryle's book Holiness which I hope will encourage you to be a doer of the things we have discussed. The first reminds us that holiness is also where we find happiness. The second serves as a call to arms.

We are sadly apt to forget that there is a close connection between sin and sorrow, holiness and happiness, sanctification and consolation. God has so wisely ordered it, that our well-being and our well-doing are linked together...A believer may as soon expect to feel the sun's rays upon a dark and cloudy day, as to feel strong consolation in Christ while he does not follow him fully (54). 
The true Christian is called to be a soldier, and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence, and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like one traveling in an easy carriage (66).
May we press on towards Christ-likeness.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Grow in Godliness by Reading Books on Holiness

I know we are doing our book club and studying a book on this topic, but it is good to benefit from others who have studied the issue too. Here are a few good ones (some are more difficult than others, but all are great).
  • The Holiness of God by RC Sproul
  • The Enemy Within by Lungaard
  • The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges (or any of his books on holiness and godliness)
  • Holiness by JC Ryle
  • Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen (edited by Justin Taylor & Kelly Kapic, published by Crossway). This book contains three of John Owen's works on the topic of sin and temptation. I urge you to read the one entitled "On the Mortification [killing] of Sin in Believers." This is by far one of my favorites, but it does require work to read.
Reading may be hard work for you, but hard work produces the best rewards. The miner who finds the best diamonds isn't the one who simply digs a few feet in the soil of the valley. Rather, it is the one who does the hard work of digging through the rocks in the lofty mountain peaks. So dig into the Word (don't replace this with Christian books), and take time to dig into it with others at your side who have, by God's grace, dug faithfully into Scripture to pull out some gems for you too.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Grow in Godliness by Putting Sin to Death

"Be killing sin or it will be killing you." (John Owen, The Mortification of Sin in Believers). This principle is drawn from Romans 8:13 which says: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." We have a call to wage war against the "deeds of the body." Meaning, to put to death sin in our lives.  Of course, it is only by the Spirit of God that we can be killing sin, but it is still true that we are commanded to do this work. So, how can we engage in battle?
 
Pick an area of behavior or an attitude that God would want you to change. To do this, look for ways your life and behavior doesn't line up with Scripture (you may find a lot of areas, but don't be discouraged. It is a sign of God's grace that you have eyes to see your sin). Then pick the one that seems biggest in your life right now. Then, study what God's word says about that sin and the opposite fruit of righteousness you are to grow in (the Bible doesn't just tell us to stop sinning, it also tells us to put on righteousness). Then, wage war on on the sin and seek to grow in the grace of God. Ask God to strengthen you and don't be afraid to ask a trusted Christian friend to hold you accountable in the area you seeking to grow in.

This warfare is year round, 24 x 7. There is no "off season." But the Summer provides a good opportunity to step back, assess the various fronts of the war, and strategize on how to make forward progress in resisting sin and temptation. If you have a specific issue to work on, but need some help thinking through how to best battle it, check out Christian Counseling Eduction Foundation's (CCEF) website and search to see if they have any videos, articles, or mini-books (you have to purchase these) to help you get started.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Grow in Godliness Together

We live in a very individualistic society. We take it as a right to not have to let anyone into our lives. But, the biblical picture of how Christians are to function is different. We are the "body" of Christ. We are interdependent.  We are given numerous "one another" commands in the New Testament.  The author of Hebrews had a few things to say about the importance of "one another" in our spiritual growth.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
  
So, it is safe to say that the Christian life, and Christian growth, is a community effort. This doesn't take away our personal responsibility to grow. And it doesn't give us the right to be busy-bodies (always in others business). But, contra our culture, it reminds us that we are to help each other grow. This is a means God has given us for our growth.  What are some practical ways to take advantage of this means of growth this summer?

Summer book club
We are studying "How Can I Change?" during the month of May and discussing it. This book helps us look at Scripture's teaching on sanctification (growth in godliness). It provides practical application of God's Word to this area of growth. And, we are doing it together. So, join in if you can (get a book from Ben).

Hang out with other Christians your age (especially those in your church)
Invest in the lives of other people in a similar life situation as you at Grace Church. Being together will give you infinitely more opportunities to encourage one another than being a loner (obviously). I don't mean to imply that just hanging out at the movies will spur you on in your walk with Christ. What I mean is that being together to have fun and intentionally practice the "one anothers" of Scripture is important. Not that you keep a check-list of how many of the "one anothers" you practiced (that would decrease your number of friends quickly). Instead, you are looking for ways to serve and encourage each other when you are together and not just seeking your own "fun time."

Get to know older men and women in the congregation
Some of you might have trouble being with people your own age. God wants you to work on that. Others may have trouble being with others that are older and more mature. That is an area of growth too. As younger people in the congregation, we should see the older godly men and women as gifts to us. They can teach us much about God and his word and tell us about how they have learned to trust God and how they have seen him at work in all the trials and challenges of life. They can testify to the faithfulness of God. God can also use you to encourage them by your care and concern for them. So, look for opportunities on Sunday mornings, at church softball games, or Sunday lunches to get to know some of these more mature folks.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Grow in Godliness by the Word of God

Sounds obvious, but many times we skip over the obvious. The Psalmists often highlight the importance of God's Word (just read Psalm 119). It is a light to our path and lamp to our feet. It is the place where God has revealed himself and our own nature to us. These are two key pieces to growing in godliness: 1. Knowledge of God, 2. Knowledge of self. We must see God so that we might worship him. We must see ourselves so we can see our sinfulness. This causes us to look back to God and see his grace in Jesus Christ. The more we see Jesus Christ, the more we worship him, and the more we worship him the more we become like him. So, take in God's Word this summer so that you might grow. But how?

The Navigators have a handy little illustration you should check out.  Basically, it uses the hand to illustrate the importance of taking in God's Word in various ways.  The more ways we take in God's Word, the firmer grip we have on it (or, more appropriately, the firmer its grip on us).  The five ways we to hold-on to God's Word are: Read, study, memorize, hear, and meditate. 

One more encouragement on the issue of the Word of God. I encourage you to get on a Bible reading plan if you don't already have one. There are plenty out there on the web. Having a plan is very helpful (for more details on reading plans see this post).

Monday, April 23, 2012

Grow in Godliness This Summer

Another summer is upon us. I hope that those of you who are students realize what a gift from God this is to you. I know that everything doesn't "stop" for you in the summer. Most will have jobs and maybe even summer classes. But, there is a real sense in which you have more time than usual. I plead with you not to waste it. God gives us good gifts, but he also calls us to account for the use of those gifts. So, use this gift for the glory of God.

Specifically, use it to spend focused time and energy seeking to grow in godliness. Ultimately, God's Spirit does this work in us, but it is not apart from our responsibility to pursue such growth. I get this from passages like Philippians 2:12-13 which says,
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
We are called to "obey" and "work out" (not for) our own salvation. But it is ultimately "God who works in you."  

This is my challenge to you for this summer. Perhaps you are thinking, "Great! I'd love to. But How?" In the next few posts I will provide some specific directions to help you not waste this summer.  Stay tuned...

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Deepest Root of Christian Womanhood: Hope in God

The deepest root of Christian womanhood mentioned in [1 Peter 3:1-7] is hope in God. “Holy women who hoped in God.”A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks. She puts her hope in the promises of God. She is described in Proverbs 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” She laughs at everything the future will bring and might bring, because she hopes in God. She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever he pleases. She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and help her strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood. (John Piper, "The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission" available at www.desiringgod.org)
I hope our women will find this an encouragement to godly womanhood and our men will be encouraged to look for a woman who is growing these things (if they are not already married).

Monday, April 9, 2012

He Became a Curse so We Might Be Blessed

This past Sunday, I spoke on Galatians 3:13-14:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

This passage is key as we seek to understand what Jesus was doing on that cross. Many people say different things. "He was giving an example of how to love our enemies...He was expressing how much he loves us..."  While these things may be true, we must not miss the main thing that Jesus was doing on the cross.  The cross (and resurrection) answers the question "How can the holy, love of God come to unholy and unlovely man?"  The answer is Jesus death on the cross is nothing less than the Son of God, the God-man, bearing God’s own wrath and curse in the place of sinful man so that, by faith in him, we receive the blessing of God.  We could certainly say more than that.  But we could never say less.

He became the curse so that we receive the blessing. He experienced God-forsakenness so that we might have the presence of God- his face shinning upon us (Num. 6:24-26) and his Spirit in us (Gal. 3:14). What a glorious exchange, all my sin for his grace.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy
Cast off that I might be brought in,
Trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend
Surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best,
Stripped that I might be clothed
Wounded that I might be healed
Athirst that I might drink
Tormented that I might be comforted
Made a shame that I might inherit glory
Entered darkness that I might have eternal light ….
…O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me
All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life... ("Love Lustres at Calvary" in The Valley of Vision)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"Vanderbilt University's Assault on Religious Organizations"

A very interesting article , entitled "Secularism with its gloves off: Vanderbilt University's assault on religious organizations," by Dr. Mohler about the school's intolerant "tolerance" being forced on campus ministries. The university has put policy into place that forces every student organization to accept any student as a member and allow any student to run for its offices.

"Tolerance" as defined in our modern culture has some very strange logic to it. The very things that make an organization Christian are now no longer allowed to characterize its membership or leadership. Read the article to find out the twists and turns of the story.