Tag: Religion

X-Ray Questions: Whose Performance Matters?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at the question: Whose performance matters? You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(12) Whose performance matters?

On whose shoulders does the well-being of your world rest? Who can make it better, make it work, make it safe, make it successful? This digs out self-righteousness, or living through your children, or pinning hopes on getting the right kind of husband or wife, and so forth.

Understand

The only one who can truly make our world better is God. We cannot accomplish it on our own, even though we believe we can. Nor can anyone in our network – wife, husband, or children – make our lives better on their own. God’s performance is what matters, He is our Creator and our Sovereign Lord, who is holding everything together and working everything out in His plan.

Repent

We must repent by realizing God is the only one who causes anything to happen. He is the one who builds His church, places people in their careers, provides them with a home, family, and provisions. God alone is in control of our universe, and we must recognize this. Apart of doing so, is coming before God in prayer. By praying, we show we recognize that God is in control and that only His performance matters.

However, unless we first look to the gospel, we will not be able to relinquish control of our lives, and we will always either depend on ourselves or those around us because we will not recognize God for who He is, the all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, nor will we realize what He has done, namely, sending His Son to die in our place. Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection allows us the ability to commune with God. He paid the price for our sins, so that we may now experience a relationship with God.

When we realize all that God has done – Creator, Savior, and Sustainer – we realize it is only His performance that matters, not ours.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider the question: Whose performance matters?: Pss 49:13; Jer. 17:1-14; Phil. 1:6; 2:13; 3:3-11.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Image: basketman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I Know Their Sorrows

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

It has been a while since we have had a dose of Spurgeon. Here is something I came across this in Morning and Evening. It is good stuff, and I wanted to share.

“I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7).

The child is cheered as he sings, “This my father knows.” We will be comforted when we realize that our dear Friend and tender Husband of our soul knows all about us.

He is the Physician

If He knows all, there is no need that the patient should know. Hush, fluttering heart, which is always prying, peeping, and suspecting! The things that you do not know now, you will understand hereafter. Jesus, the beloved Physician, knows your soul in adversities. Why should the patient analyze all the medicine or ponder all the symptoms? This is the physician’s work, not mine. It is my business to trust, and his to prescribe. If he writes his prescription in characters which I cannot read, I will not be uneasy on that account. Rather, I will rely upon his unfailing skill to make all clear in the result, however mysterious in the working.

He is the Master

We are to obey, not to judge. “The servant knoweth not what his lord doeth” (John 15:15). Shall the architect explain his plans to every construction worker on the site? If he knows his own intent, is it not enough? The vessel on the potter’s wheel cannot guess to what pattern it shall be conformed. But if the potter understands his art, what does the ignorance of the clay matter? My Lord must not be questioned any longer by one so ignorant as I am.

He is the Head

All understanding centers there. What judgment has the arm? What comprehension has the foot? Why should the member have a brain of its own when the head fulfills for it every intellectual duty? Sweet Lord, be the eye soul, and head for us. Let us be content to know only what You choose to reveal.

Resource

Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, August 14 Evening Reading

Is Your Worship Acceptable To God?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

Do you worship God with a pure heart, or do you just go through the motions of the Christian life? Attending church because your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, parent, or child wants you to. Reading your Bible because you feel it is what you are supposed to do. You may even sing in the choir, or serve the church as a deacon, but if your service and actions are not the result of a heart broken and contrite before the Lord, one whose affections have changed from the world and self, to God, then you are no better than the Israelites in the time of Amos.

Amos

God called Amos from his shepherding duties in the field to prophesy against Israel. At this time, Israel had no desire to obey God’s commandments, nor worship Him from a pure heart. Instead of providing for the poor and widowed, they exploited them. Instead of honest and fair business practices, they rigged their scales in their favor, so they could make an extra few dollars with each purchase. Instead of processing their wheat like they should have, they sold the chaff, in order to make more money. Instead of worshipping God alone, they also sacrificed to other gods. It is no wonder God said to them:

“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. ” (Am 5:21–24)

Isaiah

Amos’ prophesy was nothing new. Isaiah had prophesied the same before him:

“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. ” (Is 1:12–17)

Conclusion

We find out in Psalm 51:16-17 that God’s desire is not for us to simple go through the motions. He wants us to worship Him with a heart that is broken and contrite. Our motives for worship must be pure and our heart must be truly repentant. God does not desire actions that look righteous to others; rather, He desires that our actions stem from a heart that is truly affectionate toward Him, one desiring to worship Him and Him alone. If we do otherwise, we are no better than the Israelites and we will be rejected by the Lord. Outward actions may fool the men around you, but they will not fool an all-knowing God.

Further Reading

After considering your life and actions you may be wondering if you are a Christian. If so, you might consider reading one of my earlier posts entitled: How Do You Know You are a Christian? You can do so by clicking here.

How do you know you are a Christian?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical3 Comments

I want to ask you a question, an important question. One I would like you to give some thought. Here it is: How do you know you are a Christian? Do you say you are Christian because you walked the isle one day and prayed with the pastor at the front of the church? Maybe you say you are a Christian because you confessed Christ as your Savior at a youth retreat while you were “high” on the Christian life. Or just maybe you walked down to the front at a Crusade along with 7,000 other people. Before I go on, I am not saying that you are not a Christian because you were saved at the front of the church, on a youth retreat, or at a crusade. What I am trying to get across is that these experiences alone do not make you a Christian.

There are many people who claim to be something because they participate in an activity with those who are in reality genuine. For instance, if I told you I am a minor league baseball player, you might believe me, that is until you ask me when I am playing next. That is where my logic would break down because I would explain to you that I am a minor league baseball player because I trained with the local minor league team once at a kids baseball camp. As you heard me explain how I wore their uniforms and played in a game and how that made me a minor league baseball player, you would soon realize I was not what I claim to be, and you would begin thinking my logic was a little off.

Just as it is logically incoherent for me to think I am a minor league baseball player because I once hung out with the players and trained with them at a kids camp, it is equally as illogical that we think we are Christians because we once, or currently, hung around those who are Christians, attended church, or even walked the isle.

We learn in Matthew’s Gospel that one day Jesus will tell those who think they were His followers “Depart from me for I never knew you.”

He says, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” But Jesus will turn to those and say, “I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:21-23).

If we can think we are a Christian, and not be a Christian, how do we know that we are a Christian?

First, we need to have confessed Christ as our Savior, which is what you could have been doing when you walked the isle, prayed the sinners prayer at youth camp, or went forward at a Crusade. But you see, to confess Christ once is not the mark of a Christian. Mike McKinley, in his book, Am I Really a Christian, says,

“It is true that we need to make a onetime decision to follow Jesus. But a true onetime decision is followed by the everyday decision to follow Jesus” (23).

With that in mind, I want to provide you with five additional ways McKinley gives that show we are true followers of Jesus (39).

(1) Belief in True Doctrine

You’re not a Christian just because you like Jesus. You must believe Jesus is your Savior (John 3:16-18, 36; Romans 3:21-25; Hebrews 11:6).

(2) Hatred for Sin in Your Life

You’re not a Christian if you enjoy sin (Romans 6:1-14; 1 Peter 1:13-21; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 John 3:4-10).

(3) Perseverance Over Time

You’re not a Christian if you don’t persist in the faith (Philippians 3:12-16; Hebrews 12:1; Romans 8:38-39).

(4) Love for Other People

You’re not a Christian if you don’t have care and concern for other people (John 13:34-35; 1 John 2:9-11).

(5) Freedom from Love of the World

You’re not a Christian if the things of the world are more valuable to you than God (Luke 18:18-25; 1 John 2:15-17).

Conclusion

This week I would like you to think through your answer for why you are a Christian. Considering these questions: Have you made Christ your Savior, not just your friend? Do you see a willingness to repent of the sins in your life or are you content in your sins, not wanting to repent and rid them out of your life? Have you persevered in the Christian faith for many years, or do you find yourself living for Christ only when it is the cool thing to do? Since you professed Christ as your Savior have you noticed a love for other people? Are you willing to sacrifice your time, energy, and money to help them? Do you love the world? Are you willing to sacrifice your stuff for God, or are you chasing after worldly possessions more than you are seeking God? Do you skip church on Sunday because you need to go into the office to do some work because time is money?

Your answers to these questions will either assure you of your Christian faith, or they will show you that your faith is not real. I pray God will reveal to you the answer because your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Illustrations and their Necessity

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Pastoral, Preaching1 Comment

For most preachers (including myself), providing more than one illustration in a sermon is difficult, if it is done at all. But no matter how difficult it is, it must be done because it helps the listener process the principles, providing more clarity to the meaning of the text.

The Difficulty

Illustrations are difficult because they require preachers to shift gears from excavating the text and laying it out systematically to discovering how the texts principles relate to life situations, whether it be theirs or someone else’s. This “shifting of gears” is often difficult for those who think in logical patterns and systems, which are taught and re-enforced through their reading patterns. By spending more time reading theological treatises, which present material systematically and logically, rather than works of literature, which reveal its truths through stories, preachers are training their minds to follow logical patterns and lay out systematic grids, which is not a bad thing, as long as you recognize the intellectual development that is occurring. As a result, preachers (myself included)  find it difficult to make the shift to thinking in terms of narratives and stories. This difficulty of shifting from one job to the next is often why preachers neglect the task of illustrating.

Going further, illustrations are also neglected because they require the preacher to “delve to that level of being where mind, soul, body, world, and psyche are real. Until he has done so – until he has plumbed the depths of his emotions, relationships, and experience and integrated what he discovers in those oceans with what he knows intellectually – his own understanding is not complete.” [1] To delve to this level takes work. It takes hours of thinking, working, and re-working an illustration until it is just right. It requires one to go the extra-mile intellectually. Neglecting this extra work may prove one to be intellectually lazy.

The Purpose of  Illustrations

The purpose of illustrations is to make the abstract, real, or to make the foreign, familiar. Truth is best understood when it is observed in the context of a human situation. This does not mean truth is only understood through experience, like many post-moderns would claim, but it does mean we best understand a truth when we are able to work with it, see ourselves in the situation, or relate it to an experience we have had. Illustrations allow us to do just that, they “provide the mechanism for this life-specific understanding and are thus indispensable to effective preaching.” [2]

As preachers, we must understand people do not make decisions simple because they have the intellectual knowledge. Rather people make decisions when they can see themselves in the situation.

If you have ever been hesitant to move to another town for a job, even though you knew it was a better position for your career and the town was better for your family, you know what I am talking about. You may have had all the facts in front of you, but until you actually met your colleagues, toured the facility, and walked the streets of your new neighborhood, you were not really convinced the new job and town were better. Why?

“Because we best learn and make decisions when the abstract is made concrete.”

Bringing what is abstract into the concrete is the purpose of illustrations. As preachers, we want our people to be able to see themselves in the situation, to experience the principle of the text at work, so they will understand how their lives need to change, or how the principle relates to their world. Bryan Chapell says, “Because life-situation illustrations provide this experiential data, allowing individuals to “live through” the implications of their spiritual choices, they well serve life-changing preaching.” [3]

Conclusion

Illustrations are difficult to incorporate into a sermon, but they are necessary. Without illustrations, our people in the pew will not fully comprehend the meaning of the text, nor will they understand how the text applies to their lives.

In other words, without illustrations we are not providing full-fledged communication. By linking the text to experience, illustrations “make the Gospel real, fleshly, and interpretable.” [4]. This means illustrations are not a side-show used to make the text simple for simple-minded folks; rather, illustrations are a necessity for communicating the whole idea of the text. They are what add depth to our ideas and motivate our people to change.

So the next time you think about skipping out on an illustration because it would require too much effort, think again. Your extra effort may just be what you and your people need to fully understand the text and be motivated to change.

Resources

[1] Bryan Chapell, Using Illustrations to Preach with Power, 59.
[2] Ibid., 49.
[3] Ibid., 62.
[4] Ibid., 59.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

X-Ray Questions: What or Whom do you trust?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray Questions1 Comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at the question: What or whom do you trust? You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(11) What or whom do you trust?

Trust is one of the major verbs relating you to God – or to false gods and lies. Crucial psalms breathe trust in our Father and Shepherd. Where instead do you place life-directing, life anchoring trust? In other people? In your abilities or achievements? In your church or theological tradition? In possessions? In diet, exercise, and medical care?

Understand

The person or object that we trust is the one we believe will provide us with happiness, joy, protection, deliverance, comfort, etc. Our trust should be in God and God alone because finite persons, inanimate objects, your abilities and achievements, or thoughts (I have in mind here theological traditions, or health ideas) will always fail you.

Repent

We must repent by realizing that God should be the one we must place our trust in, not in our own abilities or achievements, our traditions, other people, or objects. For when we decide to place our trust in anything other than God, we are trusting in something that will ultimately fail us and we are leaning on our own understanding. Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:5:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding

Solomon also tells us that the one who leans on his own understanding is a fool (Prov. 12:15)

In Psalm 103, David tells his readers of the benefits of the Lord: He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with both lovingkindness and compassion, and He takes care of the oppressed by performing righteous deeds and judgments for them. Not only does God do all those things, David also says He “satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

The Lord’s benefits are greater than we could ever imagine and ever hope. Since He is the Holy, Unchangeable, and Sovereign Lord, what David wrote will never change. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. As a result, we can place our trust in Him knowing He will bring us joy, comfort, peace, deliverance, protection, etc. In short, He alone will fill the longings of our heart.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider the question: What or whom do you trust?: Prov. 3:5, 11, 18; 12:15; Pss 23, 103, 131.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.