Tag: Sin

Interestingness

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn InterestingnessLeave a comment

Here are some interesting articles I came across this week.

Human Flourishing

Here is an interesting article on Human Flourishing. It has to do with busyness, value in work, identity in work, and depending on God in our work. It will give you a good look into our culture and where we find our identity, and where we should find our identity. You can read the article by clicking here.

Does Questioning Evolution Make You Anti-Science?

Writing in response to Paul Krugman of the New York Times  harsh critique on Republican Candidate Rick Perry for his views on Evolution, Rabbi Shmuley brings up some interesting points regarding the idea or theory of evolution. You can read his article by clicking here.

Sin: This is Not the Way it is Supposed to Be

Cornelius Plantinga Jr. wrote an excellent article regarding sin and its destructive capability. He looks back at the way things were and heralds that things are not the way it is supposed to be right now. You can read his article here.

Scripture Reading Plans

My friend Dustin Bruce over at Gospel Spirituality highlighted a helpful reading plan this week. You can check out his post by clicking here and you can check out the reading plan by clicking here.

Is You Dining Room on Mission?

That was the title of a recent article by Tim Chester over on The Resurgence website. The article is an excellent read for anyone wanting to be more missional or focus their church to be more missional. You can read it by clicking here.

Are You Using Your Talents?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

There are many in the church today, who are not using their gifts. There are many who sit on the sidelines week after week instead of getting in the game. For many, the reason they sit watching idle, as the pastor and other staff members feed the flock, is because they do not understand we are all to be doing the work of ministry (Eph 4).

However, there are others who are sitting by watching idly because they are fearful, not knowing the love, mercy, and grace God has extended to those who are His people. Since they are ignorant of God’s love, mercy, and grace, they see Him as one who deals out wrath on those who do not perform up to His standard. So then, instead of trying to exercise their gifts, they freeze, like a deer in the headlights, not realizing what God has given them is theirs to be used for the furtherance of the kingdom. In not realizing what God has given them is theirs to use, they prove they do not understand their masters actions.

The Parable

We meet a man like this in the parable of the talents. It is found Matthew 25:14-30 and reads accordingly:

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (ESV)

Explanation

The point Jesus makes here in this parable is that those who are Christs must work diligently with the gifts entrusted to them. Everyone of Jesus’ followers have been endowed with a gift to be used in service to the body, those gifts differ according to ability, but, nevertheless, they must be put into service. In the kingdom of God, there is no room for benchwarmers.

Those who take what they have been given, such as the men in the parable, and put it to use, prove they believe their master is loving, merciful, and gracious because there is a chance they will fail and lose his money, but they take the risk nonetheless. They also recognize that what God has given them is theirs to use.

However, the man who does not put his gifts to use, proves he does not truly know God. For if he did, he would understand that God expects much from His people, while at the same time He is also loving, merciful, and gracious when they fail. He would also understand that what God has given him is his to use.

So then, as God’s people, we must put our gifts to use in His church and world. If we do not, we may prove to be like the last man in the parable, an unbeliever.

Questions

So then, I ask: How are you putting the gifts God has entrusted to you to work? How are you participating in the ministry of the church? If you are not participating, are you disregarding what God has called you to do out of ignorance, or are you not participating because you are afraid of God, not recognizing He is a loving, gracious, and merciful God?

Image: hinnamsaisuy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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

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.

What is the Wrong and Right Way to Seek Change in Our Life?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, PracticalLeave a comment

I recently read an article by Tim Keller entitled: Gospel Preaching. In Appendix B: Applying Christ, he gives reasons people may say no to ungodliness before giving us the real way we can change. I would like to quote Keller at length, rather than attempting to summarize. Keller says,

The Wrong Way to Seek Change

Think of all the ways you can ‘say no’ to ungodliness. You can say “No-because I’ll look bad!” You can say “No-because I’ll be excluded from the social circles I want to belong to.” You can say “No-because then God will not give me health, wealth, and happiness.” You can say “No-because God will send me to hell.” You can say “No-because I’ll hate myself in the morning and disappoint myself and have low self-esteem.”

But virtually all of these motives are really just motives of fear and pride – the very things that also lead to sin. You are just using sinful self-centered impulses of the heart to keep you compliant to external rules without really changing the heart itself.

Also, you are not really doing anything out of love for God. You are using God to get things – self-esteem, prosperity, or social approval. So your deepest joys and hopes rest in other things beside God. This kind of ‘obedience’ does not issue from a changed heart at all.

How to Change

Paul is saying: If you want to really change and gain self-control you must let the gospel teach you – a word that means to train, discipline, coach you over a period of time. You must let the gospel argue with you. You must let the gospel sink down deeply until it changes the structures of your motivation and views of things. John Stott says on Titus 2:14: “Grace not only saves, but undertakes our training. Grace bases her teaching upon the great facts in which her first grand revelation of herself was made, and finds all her teaching power in those mighty memories!”

This Does Not Mean

This does not mean that Christians should not use every possible means to exercise self-control in the crucial moment. If you feel an impulse to pick up a rock and hit someone with it – do anything at all to keep yourself from doing it! Tell yourself “I’ll go to jail! I’ll disgrace my family!” Anything. There’s no reason why in the short run a Christian can not simply use ‘will-power’ like that to make a change that is necessary.

But in the long run change will only come from changing the heart’s deepest affections with the melting, moving grace of God.

Conclusion

In this article, Keller provides us with three things that are happening when we do not seek change at the heart level: (1) We will not truly change. (2) We end up using God to build our self-esteem, prosperity, or social approval because our hope lies in something other than God. (3) We end up using sinful self-centered impulses derived from fear and pride to exact external change in order to remain compliant to our social circles accepted actions, or because we believe compliance to rules will gain us favor with God; thus, meriting us health, wealth, happiness, and a ticket out of hell.

In contrast, the only way for us to really change is if our heart is affected by the Gospel. Instead of forcing ourselves to keep external rules, we need to seek change at the heart level by preaching the Gospel to ourselves and allowing the grace of God to melt away our hearts deepest affections for our own self promotion, glory, satisfaction, and pleasure.

X-Ray Questions: Where do you find your refuge?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray Questions2 Comments

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at where you find your refuge. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(10) Where do you find refuge, safety, comfort, escape, pleasure, security?

This is the question that Psalms invites. It digs out your false trusts, your escapisms that substitute for the Lord. Many “addictive behaviors” are helpfully addressed by this question. They often arise in the context of life’s troubles and pressures, and function as false refuges.

Understand

In what we take refuge becomes evident when troubles and pressures arise in our lives. The thing(s) we turn to in order to escape those pressures are our false refuge. When pressures arise at work, or in your marriage, to what do you turn for help? Do you turn to a mistress, a drink, or gambling? Do you lose yourself in your work hoping to avoid the situation by working late? Do you let the pressure build until you burst in uncontrollable anger? Do you begin to abuse an illegal substance like marijuana or cocaine hoping that it will relieve the pain?

All of these are ways we can deal with the troubles and pressures in our life, but they are all false refuges. They only provide momentary relief, and often times create more problems than they fix.

Repent

We must repent by realizing that God is our only true refuge. The Psalmist makes this clear because God is the One the Psalmist consistently turned to over and over again. He knew God was his refuge because God alone provided him with escape, safety, security, comfort, and pleasure.

In Psalm 27:1, the Psalmist writes,

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

And in 27:5, he writes,

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

We too must find our refuge in the Lord, and we must repent of our unbelief. When we make other things our refuge, we show that we do not believe God has the power to protect us, to provide us with a refuge. We must cast off our unbelief by preaching the gospel to ourselves daily. For it is only in the gospel that we realize the power of God. Paul tells us that the same power God used to raise Christ from the dead is available for those who believe. He says,

And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above very name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come (Eph 1:19-21).

If God is able to raise Christ from the dead, seat Him at His right hand, and give Him authority over all of creation, He certainly has the power to protect us. We must realize this and repent of our unbelief.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider where you find your refuge: Pss 23, 27, 31, 46.

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