Category: Devotionals

We Can’t Refine Ourselves

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals8 Comments

The gospel tells us that we can’t refine ourselves, because we are inherently sinful. But knowing that does not keep people from trying. One way they try to do this is by adding to the gospel message, thinking that their additions make them more holy and more acceptable to God. However, this is simple not true.

Justification by Faith Alone

Throughout biblical history, many groups have sought to impose laws along with the gospel as a means for salvation. The Judaizers, in Galatia, are one example. They believed the Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes and submit to the Mosaic law along with believing in Jesus as their Savior in order to be saved (Gal. 1:7; 4:17, 21; 5:2-12; 6:12-13). But this is not the Bible’s message of salvation.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul disagrees with the Judaizers’ when he says,

“a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ…because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal. 1:16)

Paul makes it clear that we are not justified by the works of the law but by grace. This is a theme he will re-enforce time and again throughout the letter.

Christ of No Advantage

Paul tells the Galatians that the Judaizers who add to the gospel message by requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised are creating another gospel. One that does not save. He tells us that

those who “accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage” to them (Gal. 5:2).

In other words, when one adds to the gospel, they are no longer justified by Christ’s work on the cross, but by their own works.

Obligated to Keep the Whole Law

In the case of the Judaizers, who are saying gospel + works = salvation, do more than just add a few works to an already free gospel. They are obligating themselves to keep the whole law since their gospel is not the gospel of Christ. In other words, by eradicating the true and free gospel of Jesus Christ they are placing themselves under the stipulations of the law, which must be kept perfectly in order to provide them with salvation.

Conclusion

What we find then is that we cannot reconcile ourselves to God (Gal. 2:16; 5:3-5). For if we try to add to the gospel, then we make Christ of no advantage to us, and we force ourselves to keep the law perfectly, which we cannot do. The true gospel tells us that we can only be justified by faith alone (Gal. 3:10-14). So then, we can’t refine ourselves. We can only be refined and reconciled to God through the gospel.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are there things that you add to the gospel message, requiring people in your church to do before they are saved?
  2. How does the gospel free us from having to do works in order to be reconciled to God?

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The Intentional Father

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments

This last Friday night I went to The Real Men of Impact Men’s Rally at Travis Avenue Baptist. It was one part of the Equip Conference. Steve Stroope, Pastor of Lakepointe Church and co-author of Tribal Church, spoke from Deuteronomy 6:1-9. He challenged men to be the spiritual leader of their families.

Two Ends of the Spectrum

When you think about leading your family spiritually, two thoughts may come to mind. On the one hand, you may believe you are leading your family spiritually by making sure they are in church on Sunday and Wednesday and by leading them in a prayer before your meal.

On the other hand, you may believe you are only leading your family spiritually if you are having a devotional every night with them. While we probably need to do more than just take our families to church and lead them in a prayer before a meal, we all may not have the time to sit down every night and walk our families through a text of Scripture. This does not mean we do not shoot for that, or seek to make it a priority in our schedule. Spending time in the Word and praying with your family is necessary and important. However, if we can’t do that one day, it doesn’t mean we have failed, and we should throw in the towel. It is possible to lead our families spiritually as we go through our everyday routine. The way we do this is by being intentional.

The Intentional Father of Deuteronomy 6

In the midst of giving the Lord’s commands to the people of Israel, Moses writes:

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Dt 6:6–7)

These two verses tell us how we can be the spiritual leaders of our houses. Notice that Moses tells the men first that these commandments are to be on their heart. That means they themselves must know them. Once they know them, they are to teach them to their children diligently. Notice when Moses says they are to teach their children: When they sit in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning.

Here is the connection point: We all sit around our house at night, take our kids to school, put them to bed, and make breakfast for them in the morning. It is during those everyday activities that we are to speak with our children about God’s Word. In order to do that, it will take us being intentional, but working to find ways to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives is worth the effort.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you lead your family to have a greater understanding of God’s Word?
  2. What are some ways you connect God’s Word to your everyday activities?
  3. Do you know God’s Word well enough that you can connect its teachings to your daily routine?

Resources

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Why Suffering?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals10 Comments

Why do Christians suffer for their belief in the gospel? Does our suffering for the gospel even have a point? These are questions that Paul answers in his letter to the Philippians.

Context

The Philippians were being persecuted by those in Philippi for their Christian beliefs. They were being imprisoned, beaten, ostracized, and even killed. Paul, knowing this, writes to encourage them. One way he encourages them is by telling them the point of their suffering.

He writes, 

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (Philippians 1:28b-29 ESV)

Paul’s answer to why Christians’ suffer for the gospel in these verses is tied to the how and why of our salvation. So in order to answer the why question of suffering, we need to first answer the why and how question of salvation.

How and Why We are Saved

At the end of verse 28 and the beginning of verse 29, we are told that our salvation is from God and it is “granted on behalf of Christ.” Granted carries the idea of graced or gifted. This means that our salvation is given to us as a gift from God. It is not something we earn, nor is it something we have to accept. Rather, it is a gift from God.

The reason we are saved is for Christ’s sake. More specifically, we can say it is for His glory. This means that while salvation benefits us, it is not ultimately for us. It is ultimately for Jesus Christ and His glory.

Now that we understand how we are saved and why we are saved, we can take the same idea and apply it to suffering for the gospel.

How and Why We Suffer

In verse 29, Paul tells us that not only is our salvation for Christ’s sake, but our suffering is also for Christ’s sake. So we see that not only has God gifted us with our salvation for the glory of Christ, but God has gifted us with our suffering for the glory of Christ.

Application

This means that our suffering for the gospel is not pointless. It, just like our salvation, is for Christ’s glory. So when someone is fired from their job because of their belief in the gospel, it is for the glory of Christ. When someone is ostracized from their community, because of their belief in the gospel, like what is happening with Chick-fil-a right now, it is for the glory of Christ. When someone is beaten, jailed, or even martyred because of their belief in the gospel, it is for the glory of Christ.

Conclusion

So then, when we face persecution, we should be encouraged, knowing it is not pointless, but it is for the glory of Christ.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you ever thought that your suffering is for Christ’s glory?
  2. Does it provide you comfort knowing that your suffering is for Christ’s glory?
  3. What do you make of God gifting us with the privilege to suffer for Christ’s sake?
  4. How does suffering play into your understanding of Christianity?

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Reflections on Scripture

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

This morning in my reading, I came across Jeremiah 5:20-24. Here is what it says:

Declare this in the house of Jacob;
        proclaim it in Judah:
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless
people,
        who have eyes, but see not,
        who have ears, but hear not.
Do you not fear me? declares the
LORD.
        Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the boundary
for the sea,
        a perpetual barrier that it can-
not pass;
        though the waves toss, they can-
not prevail;
        though they roar, they cannot
pass over it.
But this people has a stubborn and
rebellious heart;
        they have turned aside and
gone away.
They do not say in their hearts,
   ‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
    the autumn rain and the spring
rain,
and keeps for us
    the weeks appointed for the
harvest.’

My Reflection

As I reflected on this passage, I was reminded there are people around us everyday who know that the Lord is our Creator, who know He is the One true God. These same people look out like Judah and see His power. How He controls even the raging sea, so that it does not go pass the boundary He has set for it. How He is the One who gives us rain and causes our crops to grow.

Even so, they choose to ignore the Lord. They do not fear Him. Rather, they turn from Him to worship other gods and to do what seems good in their own eyes. But what happens when the end comes? What will those who do not fear the Lord do when they stand before Him in judgement?

Judah did not repent and worship the One true God, and His wrath was poured out on them. Let Judah’s example serve as a warning to all those who act in the same way, who ignore the Creator of this world, in order to serve other gods and themselves. A day of judgment is coming, and the Lord, who is mighty and powerful, will not be ignored then. To all who do not fear the Lord, repent and worship Him.

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What Does the Exodus Reveal About God’s Mission?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals3 Comments

The Exodus Event serves as a model of holistic redemption. The event itself is a type, pointing forward to the redemption Jesus brings to all those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. Not only is it a type, but it also tells us the scope of God’s mission.

What is the Scope of God’s Mission?

When we look at the Exodus event, we see a four-fold scope in God’s mission:

(1) Political

In Exodus 1:1-22, we learn Israel were refugees in the land of the Egyptians because of the great famine. They originally were protected and lived by themselves in the land of Goshen, but after Joseph died they faced political oppression by the Egyptian’s. They were afflicted with heavy burdens because they were too many of them and they were too mighty for the Egyptians to handle. For fear that the Israelites might overthrow them, or band with another nation in war against them, they enslaved them. They made them work with brick and mortar, building store cities for them, as well as they were forced to serve in the fields, tending to the Egyptian’s crops.

(2) Economic

In Exodus 1:11-14, we also see that they were not allowed to care for their own well-being. Through forced labor, they had to care for the Egyptians by building them store cities and working their fields. This would have left no time for them to care for their own flocks and to work their own land. The prosperity they once knew was gone because of economic oppression.

(3) Social

In Exodus 1:8-22, we learn Israel was oppressed by Egypt because they were Hebrews. More than forced labor was dealt out to them, Pharaoh ordered that their midwives kill all male sons that were born to the Hebrew women. So then, the Hebrews were not only treated as slaves, but a state-wide genocide was ordered against their male sons simple because of who they were.

(4) Spiritual

Not only was the oppression Israel faced political, economic, and social, but it was also spiritual. They were kept by Pharaoh from journeying into the wilderness to worship their God (Ex. 4:22-23; 5:1-9).

God Heard their Cry

God heard the groanings of the Egyptians and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 2:23-25). He then raised up Moses and paired him with Aaron to go and confront Pharaoh (Ex. 3-4). Moses and Aaron’s initial request was denied by Pharaoh, so God sent plagues on the land of Egypt with the final one resulting in the Israelites release in the Exodus event (Ex. 5-12).

Through the Exodus Event, God delivered Israel from political, economic, social, and spiritual bondage. They were given their own land, God made them to be His people, and He defeated their enemy by drowning them in the Red Sea (Ex. 6:6-8; 14:26-31). While God did deliver Israel from this four-fold bondage and gave them these blessings, He did more than that. He delivered them from sin. Not so much their own sin, but the sin of Pharaoh, who was their oppressor [1].

So we see the scope of God’s missions involves deliverance from political, economic, social, and spiritual bondage, as well as deliverance from sin.

Connecting it to Jesus

The Exodus event becomes a motif, a recurring event that has significance in a story. It is used over and over throughout the prophets as they look forward to a final exodus (Eze. 20:32-38; 37:15-28; Jer. 16:14-15; Isa. 35:8-10) [2]. One that is led by Jesus, known as the New Exodus.

The New Exodus occurred during Jesus’ death on the cross, where He defeated Satan and his kingdom releasing those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior from the bondage and slavery that oppresses human life and well-being and opposes God.

All those who believe in Jesus, form a new community, which is freed from the bondage of sin and the rule of Satan over their lives. One day, when Jesus returns, this new community will also be ultimately freed from all political, economic, social, and spiritual oppression, completing the New Exodus event. At this time, God’s glory will dominate (Isa. 40:5, 9-11; 60:1-22), Jesus will reign in justice and righteousness (Isa. 11:1-9), and everything will be restored back to its originally intended way of life as sin, which is the reason for all forms of oppression, is ultimately removed from the world (Isa. 65:17-25).

Conclusion

As we look at the Exodus Event, we see that it serves as a type pointing to the New Exodus that is led by Jesus Christ. It also serves to tell us the scope of God’s mission, which includes release from all political, economic, social, and spiritual bondage, as well as a release from the bondage of sin and the rule of Satan over our lives, so that we can worship God.

Questions for Reflection:

  1. If God’s mission involves the ultimate removal of all political, economic, social, and spiritual bondage, should we, as God’s people, who have taken up God’s mission, also work for these things?
  2. If we are to take up God’s mission, how might you propose we work for political, economic, social, and spiritual freedom?
  3. Have you witnessed others helped, or been helped yourself, by Christians to be released from political, economic, social, or spiritual bondage? If so, how did they accomplish this task?

Resources

  • [1] Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 278.
  • [2] Zephaniah, Zechariah, as well as Matthew, Mark, and Luke recognize the New Exodus as a motif and use it in their writings.
  • Post adapted from Christopher Wright, The Mission of God’s People, 100-107.

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Ungodliness: It is all in how you live?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals6 Comments

Note: This is a repost of a series I started last year but did not finish. I am currently teaching this series at my church Sycamore Baptist Church, so I will be reposting the few articles I already wrote along with the new ones that will finish the series.

Last week we began our series on Respectable Sins, you can read the introductory post here. This week, we will deal with the first of many sins we as Christians ignore, that being ungodliness.

Clarification and Definition

When thinking of ungodliness, do not confuse it with unrighteousness. Unrighteousness refers to sinful actions, while ungodliness describes our attitude toward God.

Specifically, ungodliness is defined as “living one’s everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God’s will, or of God’s glory, or of one’s dependence on God” [1].

With this definition in mind, we can see how someone can be morally good, yet still ungodly. In fact, there are a lot of people who are morally good, yet ungodly. They help others, are courteous, and friendly, but they have no thought of God in their everyday lives. While our society would say that they are good people, God’s Word would say they are ungodly people.

Ungodliness is not just a sin the world commits. There are many in the church who are ungodly as well. They go about their daily lives thinking nothing of the Lord. While we expect those in the world to live as if God does not exist, it is not God’s will for His people to live with no thought of Him. Since this is the case, we must do all we can to rid the sin of ungodliness from our lives. In order to do that, we have to first understand how ungodliness manifests itself.

How Does Ungodliness Manifest Itself?

There are several ways ungodliness can manifest itself in the life of a Christian. The first way ungodliness manifests itself is through our planning. We prove we are ungodly when we do not include God’s will in our plans. Read what James writes,

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”” (Jas 4:13–15)

The second way ungodliness manifests itself is through our prayer. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul transcribes the way he has been praying for the Colossians. He writes,

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col 1:9–12)

Here we see Paul is concerned for God’s will, glory, and desire for the Colossians lives. He prays they would grow in the knowledge of God’s will and in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. He also gives thanks to the Father for the Colossians’ salvation. When we observe the manner in which Paul prayed and compare it against our own prayers, do we see a similarity? I would argue our prayers are markedly different than Paul’s. Paul’s prayer is God-centered. He is concerned for God’s will and God’s glory. Our prayers are often more of a to-do list that we present to God. They consist of various health and financial needs, which are not necessarily wrong to pray about. Bringing these requests to God actually shows that we depend on Him for our daily sustenance. However, if that is all we pray about, then our prayers are essentially human-centered and we are treating God like a divine genie.

The third way we manifest ungodliness in our lives is through our work. Paul again writing to the Colossians says,

“Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.” (Col 3:22–25)

Paul tells the Colossians to work heartily for the Lord. This implies they have God in mind when they are working. They think about Him and what He desires in their work. How often do we think about God and representing Him well when we are at work?

The fourth way we manifest ungodliness is through neglecting God in all our actions. In 1 Corinthians Paul says,

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31)

Do we seek to bring glory to God in all our actions, in all our daily tasks, in all our meetings, in every meal? Do we even think about God as we walk through our day? When we do not have God in mind as we move through our daily tasks, we are living ungodly lives.

The final way we manifest ungodliness is through our lack of prayer. Read how the Psalmist viewed his relationship with the Lord:

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps 42:1–2)

The Psalmist’s soul thirsts after God, as a dear pants for a stream when he is thirsty. His desire to appear before the Lord in prayer is great. There are many of us, who do not know what it means to desire to come before the Lord as much as we desire a drink of water or our next meal. There are many men who are in full-time Vocational Ministry, many who teach a Sunday School class, or lead a Small Group Ministry, or work in the Children’s Ministry, who do not desire to commune with the Lord in prayer. Lest I leave anyone out, there are many who sit in the pews each week and never commune with the Lord outside bowing their head when the pastor prays on Sunday. If this is the case, then you are living an ungodly life.

Remedy

We can begin to remove this sin from our lives, by being more aware our lives are lived in the presence of God, and that He is the Sovereign Lord not only over this world, but us as well.

Scripture to Memorize

1 Timothy 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:9-10 and 3:23; Psalms 42:1-2; 63:1; 27:4

Questions for Reflection

  1. Why should we include God in our plans and seek His desire for what He would have us to accomplish?
  2. Are your prayers like Paul’s? Do you pray for God’s will and glory? Do you pray for the spiritual health of others?
  3. How often do you think about God while you are at work? Do you see your time there as an opportunity to glorify Him?
  4. How could you better think about God in all that you do?
  5. Do you desire to meet with the Lord like the Psalmist does? Is your desire to spend time with Him in prayer and Bible reading as strong as your desire for your next meal?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 54.
Structure of post taken from Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 53-61.

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net