Here are some random thoughts on the gospel from Sunday's sermon and its application to some recent internal wrestlings:
I wonder if our idols are not so much the things themselves but the security they bring. But if I place anything above God, I'm demeaning Him by considering His worth less than whatever comes from His hand.
It's convicting to realize how much I make God out to be like man. We give and take away in a fit of pique, motivated by our selfishness. He gives and takes away motivated by divine and perfect love, not indulgent pandering. He wants to give us the best thing possible - Himself. We are impatient and wonder when the other person will finally "get it". God is long-suffering, patient, and fully confident that He will complete His work in us.
There is forgiveness for sin, even besetting sins. It's not based on my finally figuring it out and never succumbing to this sin again. It's based on the fact that Jesus died for the specific sin I committed, not just sin in a vague, generic sense.
Jesus isn't before the Father telling Him what a good person I am or that I'm getting better and how He should receive me because of me. He's pleading Himself and His own merits before God.
My salvation is based on the promises of God. Do I believe it? To question otherwise would make God out to be a liar. Therefore, whether I feel it or not, it doesn't change God's promises. Even if I don't experience it in this lifetime in the manner I would like, it doesn't change God's promises. It's not presumption to take God at His word and believe His promises. To presume that it's presumption is legalism rearing its ugly head. The promises of God have their "yes" in Christ completely independent of whether I deserve them or not.
The gospel is a gospel of grace.
I wonder if our idols are not so much the things themselves but the security they bring. But if I place anything above God, I'm demeaning Him by considering His worth less than whatever comes from His hand.
It's convicting to realize how much I make God out to be like man. We give and take away in a fit of pique, motivated by our selfishness. He gives and takes away motivated by divine and perfect love, not indulgent pandering. He wants to give us the best thing possible - Himself. We are impatient and wonder when the other person will finally "get it". God is long-suffering, patient, and fully confident that He will complete His work in us.
There is forgiveness for sin, even besetting sins. It's not based on my finally figuring it out and never succumbing to this sin again. It's based on the fact that Jesus died for the specific sin I committed, not just sin in a vague, generic sense.
Jesus isn't before the Father telling Him what a good person I am or that I'm getting better and how He should receive me because of me. He's pleading Himself and His own merits before God.
My salvation is based on the promises of God. Do I believe it? To question otherwise would make God out to be a liar. Therefore, whether I feel it or not, it doesn't change God's promises. Even if I don't experience it in this lifetime in the manner I would like, it doesn't change God's promises. It's not presumption to take God at His word and believe His promises. To presume that it's presumption is legalism rearing its ugly head. The promises of God have their "yes" in Christ completely independent of whether I deserve them or not.
The gospel is a gospel of grace.
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteLove this: "It's not based on my finally figuring it out and never succumbing to this sin again. It's based on the fact that Jesus died for the specific sin I committed, not just sin in a vague, generic sense."
ReplyDelete"Therefore, whether I feel it or not, it doesn't change God's promises. Even if I don't experience it in this lifetime in the manner I would like, it doesn't change God's promises." This is one of the most wonderful and hopeful things to understand. The day I finally 'got it,' I couldn't stop smiling, the relief was so great. God was God, regardless of my perception of Him.
ReplyDelete