A Losing War... Won For Us

I just thought of a parallel between the story of David and Goliath and the gospel. If anyone doesn't know this story, I'll relate it briefly.

David, a teenager who tends his father's sheep, is sent by his father to check up on his brothers who are away at war. David gets there and finds that Goliath, a giant on the Philistine side, has been taunting Israel for several weeks, waiting for a champion to come and face off with him. The deal is that if someone kills Goliath, the rest of the Philistines will surrender and become slaves of the Israelites. Goliath is a powerful guy. Stands about 9 feet tall. The Israelite army is petrified. Nobody is willing to go and fight this guy. Anyway, David gets there and sees this happening and says "I'll kill this guy. He's defying the armies of God. God will hand him over to me." So Saul, somewhat reluctantly, lets David go off and face Goliath. David uses a slingshot and strikes Goliath on the forehead, knocking him out. Then David takes Goliath's sword and cuts off the giant's head.

What struck me as an awesome parallel between this story and the gospel is this: the armies of God do not accomplish the central victory themselves. The whole battle is determined by two champions facing off. Praise be to God I don't have to worry about killing Satan myself! That victory is secured! The army doesn't look very impressive in this story! So I don't have to worry when I don't look very impressive myself. After Goliath is killed, the Philistines flee. This shows the attitude of a Christian's warfare. Sure there is some conflict between the armies but it's all in the attitude of the victory having been won already!

An illustration that John Piper used that I truly love is of being in a hospital. Imagine you're lying behind the curtains in a hospital bed and in the enclosure next to you you hear blood-curdling screams and agonies. It makes all the difference in the world whether you're in the oncology unit or the maternity ward. Brothers and sisters, we are in the maternity ward. All the sufferings, pains and inconveniences we deal with are not the pangs of death, but of life. The victory was won at the cross! Christ suffered the worst of the pain! And by His stripes we are healed. Praise God!

"Wow... That would buy a whole lot of..."

There's an episode of the Simpsons that just crossed my mind that I think has some parallels with how I perceive my salvation. It's just this one line from the episode that stood out to me. I don't remember what episode it is but Bart has just received a great deal of money and he's seeing an ad about a sale on burgers or burritos or something. Let's just say he's received $500. He looks bug-eyed at the ad and then says something along the lines of "Wow... $500... That would buy a whole lot of burgers!"

What I see in light of the gospel is this... I have a whole boatload of riches in Christ. More than I even dreamed existed in the world... but I have the mind of a fool or a child. Sometimes all I can see is "Wow. There is a lot of forgiveness for lust, overeating, and laziness in there." I'm missing the point when I think like this. Just like Bart would be an idiot to spend $500 on burgers. Burgers are too small an item to consider spending $500 on! Forgiveness for lust, overeating, and laziness are too small to consider spending the riches of Christ on! Bart should be thinking of much bigger things to spend his $500 on! I should be thinking of much more significant, beautiful, awesome pleasures (i.e. the pleasures of knowing Christ Himself) to enjoy through the blood of Christ! I know the analogy breaks down but it's just a thought. When you see forgiveness as the epitome of what salvation is all about, you miss the main point. Forgiveness is not an end in itself! You are forgiven so that you can actually know God! That's what salvation is all about! Jesus died to take away all the obstacles from you having a personal relationship with God that wouldn't end in the eternal destruction of your soul! If you're not enjoying that personal relationship you've missed the whole aim and purpose of your salvation.

Atonement Q & A

Call me weird but I love Christian rap. It's like listening to a 5 minute sermon and it's so packed full of truth that it's ridiculous. Anyway, here's one of my favorite songs. This one explains the very center of Christianity, the gospel itself. How does it do it? By defining theological terms that many people may not know. This is like a massive pile of dry leaves and wood to throw on the fire of your joy!

Verse 1


Who is God? God is the universe’s Creator

And Sustainer plus the only Savior, there is no one greater

He's triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute

Loving, sovereign and righteous are a few of His attributes

How do we know this? Well, we know this from the Bible

Where God has revealed Himself- anything else is just an idol

What’s the Bible about? Man’s complete ruin in sin

And what God has done in Christ to bring us to Him again

What is sin? Sin is the breaking of God’s law

Plus our condition, which means from birth we all got flaws

What’s the result? The result is by nature we’re God’s enemies

And must pay the penalty unless God provides the remedy

What the remedy? The remedy is the cross of Christ

Where He suffered all the stripes for the lawless type

I’ve been rescued by the Lamb, I’m convinced that He’s risen

And blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven!


Chorus


Just fall back, and with the eyes of faith

Behold the beauty of surprising grace

Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise

He’s magnified- God’s wrath is satisfied


Just fall back- there’s an atonement now

The cross of Christ is holy ground

Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise

He’s magnified- God’s wrath is satisfied


Verse 2


Regeneration- the Holy Spirit’s true work in His love

To the elect, who receive new birth from above

Expiation- expiation means God’s removed my filthiness

The old testament type was the goat into the wilderness

Redemption- we’ve been freed from slavery to sin

And His very own blood is the price He paid, my friend

Propitiation- Propitiation means since the Lamb has died

His work is finished- God’s wrath is satisfied

Adoption- adoption means God is now my Father

I got the hottest Poppa and by the Spirit holler Abba

Reconciliation means there’s no more enmity

God is now a friend to me, we’re no longer enemies

Justification- God declares us righteous

Sanctification- we’re being made into His likeness

Glorification- that’s what happens at the finish

When God conforms believers perfectly to Christ’s image!


Chorus


Verse 3


God’s grace is magnificent, He slayed His innocent

Son- through faith and repentance we get the benefits

What is faith? Faith is a gift from God- when we receive this

We trust and treasure the person and finished work of Jesus

Repentance? Repentance is turning from your sin

And trusting Christ as the Spirit cleanses you within

What is grace? Oh, grace is unmerited favor

Our inheritance major ‘cause we cherish the Savior

Right, and if I may quote again, we were doomed with Satan

But believers get Jesus’ righteousness through imputation

Imputation? God takes Jesus’ righteousness amount

Through faith He credits it into the Christian’s account

Anything else? Well, I guess this overview must suffice

But none of this is possible apart from union with Christ

And finally, once you know the ways of the Lord than the

only thing that you can say is Soli Deo Gloria!


Chorus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RUciHVpCbw

Victorious Living

Saint! Do you hear the call of Jesus Christ? Do you know the power that you have at your disposal?! Rather... do you know the Power that has YOU at His disposal?! How dare we go out there and live with a defeatist mindset! The kingdom of Jesus Christ is going to win through to absolute victory! You are plugged into a powerhouse of grace through Jesus Christ! The question is not "Can I handle indwelling sin in my life?" but "Can indwelling sin handle the Spirit who dwells in me?"! The Christian life isn't about coping and surviving! The Christian life is about smashing sin to bits and treading on Satan's head! Our Captain has gone before us and He does NOT give us just enough grace to survive for the day! Don't sit around worrying about bad things that may happen to you or about mistakes you might make! Go out and face your very worst fears! It's more appropriate if the things you fear are themselves afraid of you! They can't handle you who are in Christ! They don't have the resources to weather the storm! This. Is. WAR! YOU HAVE A SOVEREIGN GOD ON YOUR SIDE!!! He will give you absolute victory! And when you fall and sin and make big mistakes DON'T EVER DESPAIR! Never despair! Not under any circumstance! Despair and frustration are NOT part of the Christian life! Repentance is! Repent and move on! Don't look back! Yours is the victory in Christ! Just as He walked on Satan's head, so you will too! You fight! Fight hard! Fight brutally! Fight with everything you have in you! Smash in the skulls of your enemies! They will NOT win! Their attempts to gain ultimate control over you are futile! Get out of your comfort zone! Fail in a truly epic fashion! But even more powerfully BELIEVE! "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And THIS is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4) You are free to fail big time! You are free to make a dreadful mess! DON'T let your mess discourage you though! God is bigger than your mess! He loves you because of His Son! Not because you don't make messes! "No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins?" Beat sin to death with your faith! It's a painful, grueling, uphill battle to believe sometimes but by God's grace you will fight to the end! NEVER despair though! No matter what you have done! No matter what you may do in the future! Never despair! Never ever! Ever! Not in a thousand years! Not in a million lifetimes! Not even a little! Never despair! The Christian life is summed up in one word... hope. Hope against everything that says to despair and you will be brought safely into the grand kingdom of your Father! "Fear not, little sheep. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

I Don't Know What to Call This

Just have to get some thoughts off my chest. I need prayer, friends. I mean that. I. NEED. prayer. Things can't stay like this. So much of my walk with Christ is ME doing things. That's not how Christianity works. In Islam and Buddhism and all the other religions that I know about, it's all about people doing things to reach God and all about people obeying the right commands or measuring up to the divine standard. In short, non-Christians feel the burden lies on them. ONLY in Christianity is God the first mover. It's a supernatural religion. It's not about me doing something, it's about God doing something. I can't meet God's requirements until God moves in me. I can't attain to a divine standard until God makes the first move. I'm incapable. It's not possible. "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength" is not merely a command to obey God. It is a command to cherish God. To want God more than anything else. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Does not mean "Do good things for your neighbor, grumbling and complaining all the while." It means to desire the good of all men with earnestness. I don't just sin. I am a sinner. My heart is wrong. For my heart to be fixed, God has to intervene. A person cannot perform open-heart surgery on themselves so neither can I change my heart. God has to remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. Until He does, I'm in violation of His law.

All this to say that, while I believe I'm saved (because I have faith that Christ died for my sins and that God is working sanctification in me), I need prayer for more sanctification. So. Many. of my desires are still WRONG! I can't honestly say that God's commandments are not burdensome. Something is WRONG! I need to not just obey God but to LOVE obeying Him! I need to not just do kind things for others; I need to LOVE showing kindness. I need to LOVE showing patience and grace and compassion. I need to HATE sin. There is still a part of me that likes sin and that is NOT making war on it! Or that is making war but not NEARLY as intensely as I need to be. I don't love God with my whole heart! There are times when I CAN'T say "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside you." The wonder of salvation is so often lost on me. I see the glory of some important things but I miss the glory on so many, many more.

Romans 5 says that "hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit..." This isn't talking about the end of a chain of logic. This is talking about an experience. An experience I lack so often. Sometimes it surfaces but it needs to be more consistent and more deeply felt. Romans 8 says that "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Again, that's not talking about a deduction from logic. That's talking about an experience. An experience I lack. The Holy Spirit, a being completely apart from me, needs to testify to my spirit before I can enjoy this reality. I don't see the glory of God being my Father. So often I live under the bondage of fear. And that's not okay. It's not okay for a child of God to be living that way! Jesus died to remove me from the service of fear. My service to God and to others MUST be born of love. Not fear. That's the defining characteristic of Christ-followers. Love. Unrelenting love. Deep love. Abandoned love. Love in the face of all hatred and things that would normally cause fear. I don't love people that way. Not yet. So please pray for me.

Thoughts on Day 10,227

Well it's my 28th birthday tomorrow. 28 years. 10,227 days (including leap days). Nearly 2,000 worship services I imagine. Twelve years of grade school. A bit more than 4 years of college. Almost a solid year of living abroad here in Korea. 28 birthdays. It's not that many when you think about it. 28. I've lived a grand total of 10,227 days but only 28 have been days when people celebrated my entrance into the world. That means 10,199 days that were NOT my birthday. What do we celebrate when we celebrate a birthday? Is it not a celebration of the non-birthday days? If someone does nothing for the 364 unbirthdays, would there be much to celebrate on the 365th? I don't think so. A birthday is a time when thankfulness and joy are shown for what the person has done on their unbirthdays.

As I reach my 28th birthday, I look both forward and back. When I look back, I see frustrations, disappointments, regrets, and trouble AND joy, sweetness, rest, and providence. I've missed many opportunities to shine the greatness of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Many instances where I wish I could change myself or open my eyes to something I'd forgotten about; but also forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, compassion, and good gifts from my Father's loving hand to mine. I see failures in my life but I see the faithfulness of God. I see unrighteousness in myself but I also see that the righteousness of Christ is mine by faith. And I see disappointments that made God's providence that much sweeter when it came to fruition.

Looking forward I see, perhaps, another 26,000 days. One of my goals for this coming year is to instill an eternal mindset deeper into me. I want those 26,000 days that may or may not lie ahead of me to be spent gathering as much treasure as I possibly can for day 26,001. When I hit that date, I'll realize the fulness of how precious Jesus Christ is and I don't want to weep for a life that was wasted. The day when I cross that last, great river is coming. I want to be riveted by that thought day in and day out until it's time for me to plunge into those waters. I want to face death with the confidence that Jesus Christ is mine and that I am His. I want to see death coming and smile a big smile knowing the beauty of what lies on that other shore. I want to be able to say with Paul "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." I want to count all things as rubbish that I may know Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

So for the next 26,000 days, I want to forget what's behind me and press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. As I reach day 10,227 I want to ask my God for help in living for Him every remaining day that I wear this mortal body. Pray for me, friends. I need it.

One Single Moment

Something that has appeared increasingly sweet to me in the past month is justification. "...he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." It says that in John 5:24. Take that in... "...he who BELIEVES... has passed from death into life." A fraction of a second. Such a miniscule amount of time passes between unbelief and belief. A fraction of a second. One second you are alienated from God; the next second, you are embraced as a child. One second. Justification happens instantaneously. The second you put your trust in Jesus Christ, your eternity has just shifted. A second is all it takes. One second, you're stumbling in darkness; the next second you see the light. One second you're headed straight for the punishment you've earned, the next second, you're headed towards eternal blessing and greater joy than you could ever imagine in the deep recesses of your heart. One second, the verdict in heaven read "guilty", the next second, it read "acquitted". In a single, minuscule, seemingly insignificant second, the eternal destiny of a precious human soul has been changed.

And every life is connected. Other eternities shift when one does. We live out our days amidst so much seeming insignificance and drudgery but our lives are part of a chain reaction that is forever changing the face of reality. Every action or inaction we do or don't do is impacting a thousand processes at work in the world today. Eternities are being molded and shaped by every word we speak, every look we have on our face, and every act of service and love we do. Eternities. are being. molded. When you go to church, you are impacting this world in some way. When you say a harmful word, you are impacting eternity for the worse. When you speak well and glorify God, you are impacting peoples' eternities for the better! Every moment of your life, you're impacting the lives and destinies of others.

Pretty sobering, huh? Let this affect how you live your life today. Then come back and tell me some stories. :-)