Category: Discipleship

Respectable Sins: Unthankfulness | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins1 Comment

Do you thank God on a regular basis? When you do is it nominal or heartfelt? Do you see every circumstance as a reason to give thanks? Unthankfulness is common. So common we don’t really pay it much attention, which is why it is considered a respectable sin, and one we must deal with.

Unthankfulness Defined

When I say someone is unthankful, I mean that they do not show appreciation for the things they have been given.

Why is it a sin?

Unthankfulness is a sin because by not thanking God for all we have, we show we do not recognize everything we have is from God. Our lack of recognition and thankfulness means that we believe all we have is from our own hand. When we believe we have obtained in our own strength everything we have, then we are living ungodly lives, forgetting He is the One who has given us everything.

This is the attitude that Moses counseled against in Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17-20. There he writes,

“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Moses explicitly tells the Israelites that they should not forget the Lord, who has given them everything. They were to remember:

  • The works of the Lord, which He performed when He brought them up out of the Land of Egypt and led them to the Promised Land.
  • As well as they were to remember that the Lord has given them their power and ability to accumulate wealth.

This means that nothing is gained apart from the hand of the Lord, and we should thank Him for everything we have.

It Can Lead To

The sin of unthankfulness can lead to:

(1) DESTRUCTION – In the above passage, after reminding Israel of the works of the Lord, Moses makes it clear that those who do not remember the Lord’s provisions are prone to go after other gods, which will result in their destruction. So instead of forgetting the Lord, they are to remember Him.

We are to do the same:

We are to remember that everything we have, all our abilities and possessions, are the result of the Lord’s hand in our lives.

For we too are prone to chase after other gods, trusting in them, or even in our own selves, instead of the Lord, which will ultimately result in our destruction unless the Lord intervenes and saves us.

(2) MORAL DECLINE – In Romans 1:18-32, we are told that those who forget the Lord and do not give thanks to Him (vs 21) have their foolish hearts darkened and they are given over to the lusts in their hearts. The result is the heinous list of sins that follows in verses 26-31. Not only do these sins cause a lot of heartache and trouble, but they also ultimately result in destruction.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will look at when we are to give thanks, and offer some Scripture to memorize to help with unthankfulness. Until then, reflect on the following questions.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you thought in the past that unthankfulness was a sin?
  2. Can you think of things in your life that you have not thanked God for giving you? If so, want you go ahead and lift up thanks to God right now.
  3. Do you agree that unthankfulness is closely related to ungodliness? How does knowing that change the way you think about the sin of unthankfulness?
  4. Do you agree that the sin of unthankfulness will lead to destruction and moral decline?

Resources

Post adapted from Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, 79-87.

Image

Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

How do you deal with sinful discontentment? Are you ambivalent, not caring one way or the other? Do you even view it as a sin? Are you willing to seek ways to kill discontentment in your life?

In my last post in this series, we began to deal with sinful discontentment. Today, I will offer a few ways we can kill sinful discontentment in our lives. As well as I will provide you with some specific scriptures to memorize and questions to ask yourself. Let’s get started by asking the question:

How Do We Deal with Sinful Discontentment?

We can deal with sinful discontentment through:

  • Prayer – We have to ask God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to reveal to us areas in which we are discontent. As well as we have to ask Him, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to cause us to trust in His wisdom and sovereign plan.
  • Scripture Meditation and Memory – We need to meditate on and memorize specific scriptures, so that we can educate and remind ourselves that we should not be dissatisfied with our circumstances, finances, and possessions.
  • Acceptance and Trust – We must accept our circumstances, our finances and possessions, trusting that God, in His unerring plan and love, knows what is best for us and has purposed what is best for us. When we trust and accept our position in life, we can then ask God to let us use whatever has happened to us for His glory.
  • Purpose – We have to remember that our purpose in life is not for our glory. Our purpose in life is to bring God glory. Reminding ourselves our life is for God’s glory will help us to view and face even the most adverse circumstances with joy. The apostle Paul had this singular focus in life. It allowed him to rejoice while imprisoned and facing a trial that could lead to his execution (Phil. 1:12-26).

Scripture to Memorize

Hebrews 13:5-6; Luke 3:14; 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:10-13; Psalm 139:16

Questions for Reflection

  1. In the past what have you done when you found yourself discontent? In other words, how did you work through the situation?
  2. How might you handle the situation now?
  3. Do you believe your purpose in life is to bring glory to God? How might viewing this as your purpose in life change how you look at your circumstances?
  4. Can you think of any biblical examples of those whose sole purpose in life was to bring glory to God?

Resources

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

Image

Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins3 Comments

Are you discontent with your possessions and money? Does your current circumstances cause you to be unhappy and unsatisfied? If so, you may be sinning.

In my last post in this series, I defined discontentment and gave a few areas where it is healthy to be discontent. Today, we turn our attention to sinful discontentment.

Why We Need to Deal with Sinful Discontentment

When we are sinfully discontent, we show that we do not believe God to be all wise, nor do we accept God’s sovereign control over our lives.

We also show that our thinking about our purpose in life is flawed. Instead of viewing our purpose in life as to bring glory to God, we believe life is about our glory. When a lack of finances, possessions, or difficult life circumstances do not work to bring us glory, then we become discontent.

These things are major issues. Issues that must be dealt with. For if they are not, they not only result in a rejection of God’s wisdom and sovereignty, along with a continued flawed view of our purpose in life, they also can lead to other sins such as resentment or bitterness.

Areas of Sinful Discontentment

(1) Money and Possessions – When we are unsatisfied or unhappy with our money or possessions, we are sinfully discontent.

The reason we are discontent in this area is because we have a desire for more. A constant desire for more reveals that our money or possessions have taken the place of God in our lives. When this happens, we no longer find our acceptance, comfort, joy, protection, and peace in God. Rather, we find it in our possessions and money, which is a problem and something we need to take action against.

Scripture

When discontentment in our finances and possessions surface, we need to remind ourselves of the truths of Scripture. Here are just a few passages to meditate on:

Hebrews 13:5-6

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

We Learn

We are not to trust in our money or possessions. Rather, we are to trust in the Lord for He alone is our helper.

Luke 3:14

Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

We Learn 

We are to be content with our wages, and we are not to extort others by threats or false accusations if we believe our wages are not enough.

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

We Learn

There is more to life than the possessions we own. The parable that follows in vs 16-21 teaches us that it is ultimately our soul that we should be concerned about.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

We Learn

Contentment is great gain. Knowing that we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing with us, should cause us to look at our possessions and money differently. Paul tells us that food and clothing is all we need, and we should be content with those things. As well as we learn that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.

(2) Circumstances – When our circumstances are not what we expect, we can become discontent.

In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges provides a list of possible circumstances that might cause us discontentment. Here is what he says:

  • An unfulfilling or low-paying job
  • Singleness well into midlife or beyond
  • Inability to bear children
  • An unhappy marriage
  • Physical disabilities
  • Continual poor health [1]

While this list is not exhaustive, it should be enough to get you thinking about the circumstances in your life that could lead to discontent.

When we are not content in our life circumstances, we show that we do not trust in God’s unerring sovereignty. And that is not ok, because we are rejecting God’s rule over our lives.

Scripture

The best way to deal with circumstantial discontentment is to remind ourselves of the truths of Scripture. Here are just a few passages to meditate on:

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We Learn

Our current circumstances do not occur outside of God’s will and control, which should cause us to give thanks, knowing that somehow He will use even the most difficult circumstances to sanctify us, build our trust in Him, and to bring glory to His name.

Philippians 4:10-13

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

We Learn

The secret to contentment lies in trusting God, knowing He will provide for us and strengthen us to face every situation.

Psalm 139:16

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

We Learn

God has ordained all our days for us, and nothing happens outside of His will, knowing that should provide us with comfort. Even though we may not understand how God is using our current circumstances, we can rest assured that they are apart of His overall plan for our lives.

Commenting on this verse Jerry Bridges says,

“God does nothing, or allows nothing, without a purpose. And His purposes, however mysterious and inscrutable they may be to us, are always for His glory and our ultimate good” [2].

So no matter what we are facing, whether it be unhappiness about our looks, or our job, we should find rest in the fact that God is in control. He has knit us together in our mother’s womb, ordaining our days for us.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will offer a few ways we can deal with sinful discontentment. Until then, meditate on the Scripture above and ask yourselves the questions below.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you currently discontent about your finances, possessions, or life circumstances?
  2. Do you believe the things you are discontent about have taken the place of God in your life?
  3. Do you believe God is all wise and loving?
  4. Do you believe God is completely and unerringly sovereign over your life?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-72.
[2] Ibid., 74

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

Image

Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

Are you content? Are you happy with your possessions and your circumstances? Admittedly, it is difficult for us to be completely content all the time, but that is no excuse because discontentment is a sin. A sin we often overlook, but one we need to deal with.

In my next few posts, I will deal with this sin. But before we deal with discontentment as a sin, we need to realize it is not always sinful to be discontent. There is a healthy form of discontentment, which we will look at today. Before we do, let’s get started by defining discontentment.

Discontentment Defined

Discontentment occurs when we are dissatisfied or unhappy with our life, whether that be our circumstances, money, or possessions.

Healthy Discontentment

There are areas in which we can be discontent and not sin. Here are a few:

(1) Spiritual Growth – Not being satisfied with our spiritual growth is a form of healthy discontentment. If we are to continue to grow in our Christian walk, then we cannot be completely satisfied with our current growth. For if we are, we will remain stagnant.

(2) Injustices and other evils – We should not be content with injustice, nor should we be content with the evil in the world. Rather, we should be discontent with the way the world is currently, which should cause us to long for the world to come. It should also motivate us to work to eradicate as much injustice and other evils as we have power.

Looking Forward

While there are certain areas in which we should be discontent, there are other areas we should not. When we exhibit discontentment in these areas, we are sinning. I will look at these areas in my next post.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you content with your spiritual growth?
  2. Are you content with your churches spiritual growth?
  3. What can we do to continue to grow spiritually?
  4. What can we do to eradicate injustices and other evils in the world?
  5. Can you think of other areas where it may be healthy for us to be discontent?

Resources

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

Image

Respectable Sins: Anxiety, Worry, & Frustration

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

Recently I began a series on Respectable Sins, you can read the introductory post here and week two here. This week, we will deal with the second of many sins we as Christians ignore, that being anxiety, frustration, and worry.

Definitions

Anxiety, worry, and frustration are common terms that we use everyday, but what do they mean?

  • Anxiety | It is the feeling of nervousness or unease, which generally occurs when an event is imminent or something is uncertain.
  • Worry | While a synonym for anxiety, it tends to be associated “with more long-term difficult or painful circumstances for which there appears to be no resolution” [1]. 
  • Frustration | It is the feeling of being upset or annoyed especially because you do not have the ability to change or achieve something you would like to change or achieve.

Why are these Labeled as Sins?

Anxiety and Worry

When we are anxious or worried, we show that we are fearful of the future, whether that be immediate or long-term. We do not trust that God’s sovereign plan is right.

Frustration

Frustration is similar, but it does not involve fear. Rather, it involves us being upset or even angry at someone or something for getting in the way of our plans. When we do this we forget that God is sovereignly in control of everything that happens in our lives. Instead of trusting in God, we trust in our own intellect or know how [2].

Summary

All three, anxiety, worry, and frustration, are sins because they show a “distrust in God” and “a lack of acceptance of God’s providence in [o]ur lives” [3]. They also are closely akin to ungodliness because during these times we are living as if God is not in control of our lives [4].

How Does Anxiety and Frustration Manifest Itself?

Anxiety and worry manifests itself in many different ways. Here are just a few examples:

  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about making your connecting flight.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about if you will have a job in order to provide for your family.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about if you will be able to have kids when you and your significant other start trying.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about a public speaking engagement, interview, date, conversation, etc.

Frustration manifests itself in many different way, as well. Here are just a few examples:

  • Being angry and upset when your computer will not print so you can turn in your paper on time.
  • Being angry and upset when others do not see your point of view or agree with you.
  • Being angry and upset when you are sitting in five o’clock traffic and only moving one inch every few minutes.

Remedy

We can begin to rid these sins from our lives:

First, by realizing God will take care of us in times of need.

Matthew 6:25-34 is a perfect verse in which to turn, when we are anxious or worried. Six times we are told not to be worried or anxious. Instead, we are to trust in God, realizing He is the sovereign Lord, who will take care of us.

Second, by meditating on Scripture.

Take for instance, Psalm 139:16, it can help us remember God is in control when we get frustrated, anxious, or worried. The Psalm reads,

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

We learn from the Psalmist that God does have a plan for our lives. While His plan may not be our plan, we can trust Him in every situation, believing that His plan for our life is perfect and holy.

Psalm 139 is not the only Scripture we can look to when we are anxious, worried, or frustrated. Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7, Ephesians 4:31, and James 1:19-20 are a few others that would be helpful for us to meditate on during seasons of frustration, worry, or anxiety.

Third, by learning to rest in the fact that there is a reason for everything that happens.

Since no event is purposeless, we should take that opportunity to ask God what He would have us learn. It may be that God is using a situation to show us that we lack trust in Him, that we want to plan things on our own, or that we are living our life with no regard for His will.

“Sometimes God uses events that tempt us toward frustration [or anxiety] to get our attention, or even to push us further in an area we need to grow in. In any case, there are no events in our lives that do not ultimately come to us from the invisible hand of God, even though they come through some visible cause [5].”

Fourth, by praying.

We should pray that the Holy Spirit would work in our lives to remove our anxiety, worry, or frustration, allowing us to react to a situation in a godly manner. We should also pray that God would provide us with the practical wisdom we need in order to handle the situation. If our printer is broken, we need to know how to fix it or where we can go and print our document, so we can meet our deadline [6].

Scripture to Memorize

Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 139:16; Ephesians 4:31; James 1:19-20

Questions for Reflection:

  1. What causes you to worry, be anxious, or get frustrated? Is there anything you can learn from these situations?
  2. Do you write these sins off, thinking they are natural for everyone or are apart of my temperament, so they must be ok?
  3. Does knowing that God is sovereign help you when it comes to these sins?
  4. Do you believe frequent frustrations show you have a control issue?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 67.
[2] Ibid., 69-70.
[3] Ibid., 64.
[4] Ibid., 69.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.

Structure of post taken from Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 63-70.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins5 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.

There are some sins that are subtle, lurking just beneath the surface, so common in our culture and churches that we are blinded to them and deceived into thinking they are not sins at all. The sins in question are what Jerry Bridges calls Respectable Sins [1]. Respectable sins are sins we overlook and tolerate because they are common subtle sins of believers. Sins like gossip, anger, worry, and frustration, just to name a few, are all respectable sins.

Why Do We Overlook These Sins?

We overlook “Respectable Sins” not only because they are pervasive, but also because they don’t seem as bad as say: Abortion, homosexuality, sex trafficking, and exploiting the poor. Our gossip, worry, and frustrations are insignificant, minor infractions in comparison, so we turn a blind eye and continue to allow them fester.

Another reason Respectable Sins exist is because we don’t realize God has called us all to be holy, to live as saints (1 Corinthians 1:2) and shine as lights in a corrupt world (Matthew 5:16). Since we think sainthood is reserved for the super Christian, we see no reason to try and act like one [2].

What is the Affect of Overlooking these Sins?

When we don’t deal with sin, even respectable sins, they start to metastasis like cancer in our Christian community, harming us and taking root in those around us.

Take for instance gossip, a common respectable sin. As a gossiper, I am not only tearing another down, and sinning against God, but I am teaching others gossip is ok. Before you know it, my sin has metastasized in their heart. They start gossiping, then those they gossip to start gossiping. Before you know it, the whole community is gossiping, and no one is willing to deal with the sin, so we all just keep sinning [3].

How do we Deal with Respectable Sins?

Like any other sin, with the gospel. The gospel teaches us Jesus not only saves us from the wrath of God, but also frees us from sin’s reign over our lives, which allows us for the first time to resist sins dominion over us.

Whereas, before salvation we could not help but sin, after salvation we have the ability to not sin.

In order to keep marching forward against sin, even respectable sins, we must daily preach the gospel to ourselves. Daily reminding ourselves God has already dealt with our sin in Christ should stir in our heart gratitude toward God and a desire to please Him by living as He has called us to live – as saints set apart for His kingdom work [4].

An Invitation

If you are interested in learning more about what sins we deem respectable and how to deal with each in particular, let me invite you to follow along each week as we journey through Jerry Bridges book Respectable Sins. It has been a real source of encouragement in my life, as well as it has opened my eyes to the sins I personally overlook and the sins my church overlooks.

Looking Forward

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be using Jerry Bridges book Respectable Sins to help us see what sins we overlook in the church and our own lives. You will probably be just as surprised as I was of the amount of sins we commit but overlook or do not realize are even sins in our lives.

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 9.
[2] Ibid., 11-22.
[3] Ibid., 23-30.
[4] Ibid., 31-38

You can purchase a copy of Respectable Sins on Amazon by clicking here.

Image: Phiseksit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net