Tag: christianity

Christians Don’t Just Accept Truths About Jesus, They Have A Desire To Know Jesus

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Every week I gather with a few faithful men to read and study God’s Word. We meet at a local IHOP, sit at the same table, and are served by the same waitress. While it is a routine meeting in a routine place, we have learned truths about God’s Word that have made our life anything but routine. It’s amazing how a simple study designed around the reading and studying of God’s Word can change your life. But it’s the Bible we are talking about, so that shouldn’t shock us too much.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

As of late, we have been working through the book of John. Today we started working through Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in chapter 17. If there was ever a chapter that was packed full, it is this one. In fact, this chapter is a theological factory that’s doing no less than pumping out deep truths about Jesus, salvation, our mission, and eternal life.

Eternal Life and Being a Christian

I don’t know why, but verse three landed hard on me this morning. It really got the wheels turning. There Jesus tells us what it means to have eternal life. He says,

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (Jn 17:3)

According to Jesus, eternal life involves us knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ.

Sadly, that truth is not emphasized by many preachers. Instead many teach a watered down gospel which involves nothing more than someone gaining their “fire insurance” by raising their hand, walking an aisle, filling out a card, or accepting some blanket truths about Jesus.

Sure, we need to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who has come on a rescue mission to seek and save the lost. We need to believe He died on the cross for our sins, resurrected on the third day, and will return to set things right. We need to admit we are sinners, repent of our sin, and turn to God. I don’t want to downplay any of those truths and actions. We need to believe and do those things in order to be a Christian. But that is just the beginning, not the end of our Christian walk. Those beliefs and actions serve to bring us into a relationship with God that should be continually nurtured and deepened.

Being a Christian, then, involves more than raising our hand, walking an aisle, being baptized, or even accepting some truths about Jesus. Being a Christian involves a desire to know God, to have a relationship with Him.

A Christian’s Desire

Pushing the envelope a bit further, we can also say that being blessed, experiencing joy, and seeing loved one’s in heaven is just a by-product of our relationship with God. If you have come to Christ out of a desire to gain those things instead of a desire to know God, you may need to ask yourself if you truly are saved.

You see, if you are a Christian you will have a desire for the things of God. You will  have a desire to fellowship with God’s people, to worship Him, to learn more about Him, to read His Word, and to pray to Him. In other words, you will have a desire to continually deepen your relationship with God and Jesus in an effort to get to know more about Him.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you have a desire to know more about God?
  2. Do you have a desire to deepen your relationship with Jesus?

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You Must Forsake Your Old Way of Life to be a Christian

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

“Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.” (Ps 45:10–11)

The Psalmist tells us that those who desire to be the Lord’s should forsake their past life. They shouldn’t hold on to it, instead, they should let it go, turning to live as God’s people in His kingdom.

Something We Must Do

Forsaking our past life not only pleases God but it is something we must do in order to be Christian. We cannot worship two Masters. Nor can we live a divided life. We must give of ourselves fully to the Lord, allowing Him to lead and guide us. He must be both our Savior and Lord.

The Mistake We Make

Mistakenly, many believe coming to Christ doesn’t involve forsaking their past way of living. This error is partly the product of our sinful nature wanting to hold on to control, and it’s partly the product of a decisionism culture that tells us all we need to do it accept Christ and everything will be alright. While we must believe/accept/profess the gospel message about Jesus – that God saves repentant sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus – we must also give our life fully over to Him.

Repent – What Does it Mean?

Repentance is a key component of becoming a Christian. When we repent, we are essentially doing a 180. We are turning from a life lived for ourselves to a life lived for God. We are forsaking our desire to be our own god, and we are recognizing God’s right to be the God of our lives. When we repent, we not only tell God we are sorry for sinning against Him, but we also tell Him that we want Him to lead and guide us. We tell Him that we recognize His rightful place as our King and that we are willing to submit to His lordship over our lives.

Repentance, then, is a necessary part of becoming a Christian. If we haven’t repented, we haven’t forsaken our old way of life, and we aren’t citizens in God’s kingdom.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you forsaken your old way of life?
  2. Have you repented?
  3. Do you recognize that God is the King of your life?

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Does a life of faith always lead to a life of ease?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

In their book Health, Wealth, and Happiness David Jones and Russell Woodbridge, open by saying,

A new gospel is being taught today. This new gospel is perplexing. Instead of promising Christ, this gospel promises health and wealth…According to this new gospel, if believers repeat positive confession, focus their thoughts, and generate enough faith, God will release blessings, upon their lives. This new gospel claims that God desires and even promises that believers will live a healthy and financially prosperous life.”[1]

While these authors ultimately go on to show that is false teaching, there are many people who believe what these authors have described. Some even come to faith in Christ because they think it will provide them with a life of ease – a life free from pain, worry, difficulty, and hardship. But is that the case?

Does a Life of Faith Always Lead to a Life of Ease?

Well, I believe when we look at the latter part of Hebrews 11, the teaching is clear: A life of faith does not always lead to a life of ease (Heb. 11:32-40). If you remember, chapter 11 is considered the hall of faith. The chapter highlights for us the faith of the great saints of old. Near the end of the chapter as the author begins to wrap things up, he recounts for us in rapid fashion some of the things the saints of old faced. We are told they experienced war, injustice, lions, fire, torture, imprisonment, hunger, and even death.

If you remember, chapter 11 is considered the hall of faith. The chapter highlights for us the faith of the great saints of old. Near the end of the chapter as the author begins to wrap things up, he recounts for us in rapid fashion some of the things the saints of old faced. We are told they experienced war, injustice, lions, fire, torture, imprisonment, hunger, and even death.

Even though they faced these things, some of these faithful saints, by the power of God prevailed. Beginning in verse 32 we read,

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Heb 11:32–34)

However, if you keep going in the text, you see a different picture. Beginning in verse 35, we learn that:

“…Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Heb 11:35–38)

Reading the latter verses may cause you to think that the faith of those who suffered and died wasn’t as strong as those who conquered, but that is not true. Their faith was just as strong. They made it into the hall of faith after all. What this teaches us, then, is that living a life of faith doesn’t always mean we are going to live a life of ease.

What About Those Who Preach a “Best Life Now” Theology?

Those who preach and teach a “best life now” theology for the faithful are simply preaching a false gospel. One that is foreign to Scripture. Scripture never claims that our life if going to be great now. After all, the founder of our faith was lied about, attacked, and ultimately nailed to a cross. As His followers, we can expect something similar. Jesus tells us just that in John 15:20,

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” (Jn 15:20a)

Living a life of faith, then, doesn’t always mean we are going to live a life of ease. It is crucial we take hold of that truth as we enter these tumultuous times.

The Times are Changing

As Christian Americans, we have experienced a number of years of freedom and peace. For the vast majority of us, persecution has been limited to sneers, jeers, and name calling. Times, however, are rapidly changing. Just consider some of the current headlines:

As these headlines from the last week make clear, the cultural and sexual revolution is pushing forward at an unprecedented pace. A pace that is causing Religious Liberty and Erotic Liberty to clash head on. As these two ideologies collide, persecution of the faithful is bound to occur, just like it did in biblical times and throughout Church History. A life of ease for the faithful, even the relative ease we have experienced in this country, may soon be coming to an end.

As we see the slow (or rapid) fade of a persecution-free life take place before our eyes, we need to think hard about what we believe because a “Best Life Now” theology won’t provide the hope, encouragement, and strength we need to hold fast to the faith when persecution is knocking at our door.

Question for Reflection

  1. Does your theology provide you the hope and strength you need to face persecution?

Resources

[1] Health, Wealth, and Happiness David Jones and Russell Woodbridge, 14-15.

[2] See also for in-depth commentary on these issues http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/08/02/briefing-08-02-16/ and http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/08/03/briefing-08-03-16/

Post adapted from my sermon: Is a Life of Faith Always a Life of Ease?

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Can anyone, no matter how evil, be saved?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn QuotesLeave a comment

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Ti 1:15)

Calvin comments:

“He shews that it was profitable to the Church that he had been such a person as he actually was before he was called to the apostleship, because Christ, by giving him as a pledge, invited all sinners to the sure hope of obtaining pardon.

For when he, who had been a fierce and savage beast, was changed into a Pastor, Christ gave a remarkable display of his grace, from which all might be led to entertain a firm belief that no sinner, how heinous and aggravated soever might have been his transgressions, had the gate of salvation shut against him.”

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you believe that anyone, no matter how evil they are, can be saved?

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Quote from John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 38–39.

Learning the Art of Waiting is Worth It

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, DevotionalsLeave a comment

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (Ps 40:1–3)

Gone are the days when we have to take a trip to the local store for groceries, clothes, movies, or other goods. In our always connected digital world, we can have them delivered to our house the same day or watch on demand. There are advantages to be sure. We can get more done, relax longer, and play more with our kids.

Our Patience is Growing Thin

However, there are also disadvantages. One is that our patience grows thin. You know what I am talking about, if our movie buffers or our item isn’t delivered in a couple of hours, we feel slighted, and we take to social media to instantly complain about our mistreatment.

A Thin Patience Affects Our Relationship with God

But a diminished patience not only leads us to complain more about companies online, it also leads us to complain more about God.

We think God must work like the companies we both admire and complain about. He must cater to our needs instantly. The benefits of waiting are lost on us.

This negatively affects our spiritual growth and leads to diminished worship. Instead of praising the Lord when He comes through, we say, “Finally, what took you so long.” Instead of leading others to worship God for His faithfulness, we complain, drawing others away instead of towards God.

Learning the Art of Waiting is Worth It

Waiting for the Lord to deliver or answer us is difficult, but it is worth it. God’s plan is greater than ours. His timing is perfect. Recognizing that helps us to see that this world isn’t all about us, our wants, and our desires. Instead, it’s about God, His plan, His will, and His purposes for this world and our life.

While it is hard for us to wait, there is a lot we can learn during that time, so may we learn to wait on the Lord, and may we praise Him even more when He answers us.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you believe our instant society is affecting your relationship with God?

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How Can We Experience True and Lasting Happiness and Joy?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

We live in a society that believes joy and happiness come when we attain complete self-autonomy; when we are controlled by no one but ourselves. This is evidenced by a number of legal and cultural battles that have been waged over the last year. Obergefell removed the Christian strictures on marriage. Bathroom ordinances are being enacted, struck down, and fought over. Just yesterday the Supreme Court struck down Texas’ abortion clinic restrictions. These cases and battles signal that any encroachment on personal autonomy and self-rule will not be tolerated.

More To It

These fights and cases, however, are about more than marriage, bathrooms, and terminating a pregnancy. They are about more than change and progress.

These fights arise from and signal our sinful desire to rule ourselves, to be our own gods.

It is believed, even if it is not admitted, that ruling our lives in place of God will finally provide the joy and happiness man desires. But, if you notice, one victory just leads to another battle. Another cause to be championed is always around the next corner. That’s because throwing off the strictures of God’s rule will never provide the happiness and joy we desire. The sweet taste of victory fades quickly, and a new battle that promises joy and happiness when won must take its place. The search is never ending.

The Search Can Be Over

The Psalmist, however, paints a different picture for us. He tells us that:

“Those who look to him are radiant” (Ps. 34:5a)

In other words, those who turn to, instead of away from, God will experience the joy and happiness for which they long.

So instead of casting off all reason and logic in an effort to rule ourselves, we need to turn to God. We need to submit to Him and His Law. He is our Creator, and living in the way He has designed will always be better for us in the end. It will provide the joy and happiness for which we long, as well as a well ordered and thriving society.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Ps. 34:8)

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you believe self-autonomy provides lasting happiness and joy?

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