Tag: Gospel

A Right View of God’s Grace

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Wash

Are we able to clean ourselves up enough so that God would say,

“I see you have put some effort in. You have cleaned yourself up a bit. Since you have worked so hard, I will now extend my grace and mercy to you.”

The Crowd and the Blind Men

In Matthew 20:29-34, Jesus is walking by two blind men, who call out for healing. The crowd, not thinking they were deserving, tells them to be quiet, to quit calling out to Jesus. They did this because they wrongly understood God’s grace and mercy.

What They Thought

They thought God only extended His grace and mercy to those who were deserving. Since they saw these two men as unholy sinners who were being punished by God, they didn’t think they deserved God’s grace or mercy.

Many Think That Way Today

Many people today think they they have to clean themselves up before they come to Jesus. Or they believe they don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy because of who they are or what they have done in the past. That, however, is simply not true.

No One is Deserving

According to the Bible no one is deserving. No one deserves God’s mercy and grace. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23:

“We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

So according to Paul, no one is worthy of God’s mercy. No one deserves His grace, which is why it is called grace – it is a gift God gives to us. Since God’s grace is a gift, it is something we don’t earn or deserve.

A Gift Open To All People’s

Even more, it is a gift open to all peoples. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, or who you are right now. God’s grace is open to you.

A Return To Our Initial Question

Returning to our initial question, the answer is that we can’t clean ourselves up enough for God to extend His mercy and grace to us. No, God’s grace and mercy is extended while we are still unholy sinners deserving of His wrath. So then, it is God who cleans us up, not the other way around.

Question for Reflection

  1. Why do people often think they have to make themselves presentable to God?

Resources

Image

Post adapted from my most recent sermon: How should we think about and act toward the disabled?

On The Gospel vs. Religion

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Quotes2 Comments

Religion commands us to change our behavior, but it cannot change our hearts. It can tell us to do what is right, but cannot give us a love for the right. Only the gospel and the assurance it yields creates a passion for the right in our hearts, because only the gospel goes deep enough to actually change the warped nature of our hearts.

Question for Reflection

  1. Have you ever found yourself trying to modify your behavior instead of resting in Jesus for salvation?

Resources

J.D. Greear, Stop asking Jesus into your heart, 17.

Image

How Should We Respond to the Good News of Jesus During Advent?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

Sycamore Baptist Church Snow

Advent is the season leading up to Jesus’ birth. During this time of year we will exchange greetings of Merry Christmas, send Christmas cards to friends and family, and post many sayings on Facebook and Twitter such as: ”Jesus is the reason for the season” or “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.”

These things are good. They not only cause us to think about Jesus, but they cause others who may never consider Jesus to do so.

While it is good and right for us to do these things, what I’m afraid of is that even though we speak about Jesus, write about Him, and celebrate His birth this time of year, we may not really know how the Bible calls us to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

How should we respond to the good news of Jesus Christ? In other words, what should we do after hearing the message of the gospel? The shepherds’ response in Luke chapter two acts as a model.

The Shepherds’ Response

The First Way They Respond is Immediately

In verses 15-16, Luke writes,

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.”

Our response should be identical. When we hear the good news of Jesus – that He has come to save us, to restore our relationship with God, and make peace for us – we should respond immediately by seeking to confirm the truth of the message.

If we are apathetic and lackadaisical, it means we have not yet grasped the magnitude of the message, or our need for a Savior. As well as it means we don’t understand that this world cannot offer us the peace that only Christ can offer.

The Second and Third Way They Respond is by Believing and Telling Others the Good News.

In verses 17-18, Luke writes,

“And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”

We should not only believe the gospel message, but we should also respond as the shepherds did by telling others. That is the proper response, and it should be our response.

The Last Way They Respond is by Glorifying and Praising God. 

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:20)

We too should respond by glorifying and praising God. In other words, God’s beauty, splendor, and majesty should capture our imaginations and thought, as well as we should obey His commandments, submitting to His rule over our life, and telling others about Him.

Why should we respond in this way?

Because God Himself has come to this earth to rescue us from death and destruction.

He planned out His rescue mission before the foundations of the world. Directed history to fulfill His plan. A plan He Himself fulfilled by leaving His throne in heaven, being born as a man in a manger, and going to the cross to die the death we should die, so that we might have life.

Isn’t that amazing? The King, the Creator of this world has come to rescue us from death and destruction while we were His enemies.

That is why we should glorify and praise God. That is why the message the Angel brought to the shepherds was good news. That is why we should respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you responded to the good news by searching out the truth?
  2. Have you responded to the good news by believing in Jesus?
  3. Have you responded to the good news by telling others the gospel?
  4. Have you responded to the good news by glorifying and praising God?

Why Should We Put Our Faith In Jesus?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals5 Comments

Faith

Lately, I have been writing about the characteristics of True Faith (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). Reading those posts, you might think: Why should we put our faith in Jesus? That’s an honest question that deserves an honest answer.

Why Should We Put Our Faith In Jesus?

(1) He is the God sent Savior.

It was prophesied in Isaiah 35 that the blind, deaf, lame, and mute would be healed when God came to save His people. Scripture is fulfilled in Matthew 15 when Jesus heals the crowd because the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the mute speak. These miracles point to Jesus being the God sent Savior.

We should confidently put our faith in the One God sent to save the world.

(2) He is Compassionate. 

For three days Jesus ministered to the crowd. Providing healing for the sick and hurting. When it was time for them to go home, Jesus realized many had not eaten for several days. He didn’t want to send them home with their supplies depleted and stomachs empty for fear they wouldn’t make it.

What does He do?

He throws a Divine Picnic where He feeds four thousand men, not including women and children.

Jesus’ actions teach us that He provides. Not only does He provide for our spiritual needs but also our physical needs.

Jesus’ as our Provider doesn’t mean we will be rich or nothing bad will happen to us. It does mean, however, He will provide what we need. We can trust He will provide because He is compassionate – He cares for and loves us.

Since Jesus is compassionate, taking care of our needs, we should confidently put our faith in Him.

(3) He is the All Sovereign and Powerful God of the Universe. 

Jesus’ provision – healing the sick and hurting, and feeding the hungry – point to His power and sovereignty over all things.

Since Jesus is sovereign and all powerful, and able to work out His plan. A plan that involves the defeat of sin, Satan, and death. We should confidently put our faith in Him.

Conclusion

Jesus’ healing of the Gentile crowd and feeding of the four thousand from Matthew 15 gives us the confidence we need to put our faith in Jesus. It’s there we learn

Jesus is the compassionate all sovereign and powerful God sent Savior.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you recognize Jesus as the compassionate all sovereign and powerful God sent Savior?
  2. Do these characteristics encourage you to place your faith in Jesus?

Resources

Image

Post developed from my sermon The Faith of the Canaanite Crowd

The Gospel in One Minute

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, Practical2 Comments

Here are a couple of videos explaining the gospel. They are all around a minute.

Living as a Missionary in Your Community

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, Practical5 Comments

Coffee Shop

I have been reading Tim Chester and Steve Timmis’ book Everyday Church this last week. In chapter 2, everyday community, they explain the need to live like missionaries in our own communities. In order to live like a missionary, we must ask the questions missionaries ask.

Questions Missionaries Ask

Where?

  1. Where are the places and activities we can meet people (the missional spaces)?
  2. Where do people experience community?
  3. Are there existing social networks with which we can engage, or do we need to find ways of creating community within a neighborhood?
  4. Where should we be to have missional opportunities?

When?

  1. What are the patterns and timescales of our neighborhood (the missional rhythms)?
  2. When are the times we can connect with people (the missional moments)?
  3. How do people organize their time?
  4. What cultural experiences and celebrations do people value? How might these be used as bridges to the gospel?
  5. When should we be available to have missional opportunities?

What?

  1. What are people’s fears, hopes, and hurts?
  2. What gospel stories are told in the neighborhood?
    • What gives people identity (creation)?
    • How do they account for wrong in the world (fall)?
    • What is their solution (redemption)?
    • What are their hopes (consummation)?
  3. What are the barrier beliefs or assumptions that cause people to dismiss the gospel?
  4. What sins will the gospel first confront and heal?
  5. In what ways are people self-righteous?
  6. What is the good news for people in this neighborhood?
  7. What will church look like for people in this neighborhood?

Conclusion

Reaching our communities with the gospel, means we need to know our neighborhoods, it’s people, and their stories, values, worldview, and culture. Asking these questions will help us to know and understand our communities better. It’s going to take some work, but it is worth it in order to reach our cities, communities, and neighborhoods. So let’s get to work answering these questions and living like missionaries in our own backyards.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you believe it is important we live as missionaries in our own neighborhoods? Why or why not?

Resources

Timmis & Chester, Everyday Church, 42-43.

Images