....For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

"....For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13 part) 

Am I righteous in my own eyes? Forgive me.
Do I see my sin? Help me.
Do I pursue the goals of my little kingdom instead of the expansive glory of Yours? You know I do.  Call me Lord. Speak to me. Today.

Your servant is listening. I surrender.

The Pursuit of Holiness

[This blog is primarily written as part of my own reflection, meditation and as I grow older, my memory :).  As such I have no shame or self-promotion, nor do I mind if it helps others, although that is not my primary motive. As part of a group of men who are trying to grow deeper in their faith, I am reading through some books, and it seemed necessary that I jot down some notes. 

Having come out of a legalistic group that completely misunderstood grace, faith and salvation, the subject of “Holiness” is one that is often abused.  Since I knew and trusted the men that were reading with me, I was not reluctant to grow in my faith with them. ]

The Pursuit of Holiness

Jerry Bridges

 

“Strive for peace with everyone and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14

At the end of the book, the author points the key benefit of Holiness:  Experiencing God’s Love.  More specifically, His love is not conditional on obedience, but our experience of it is, 1) in Fellowship with God (Ps 51:12)  2) Joy of obedience (Nehemiah 8:10) and 3) anticipation of our reward.  I wish I had read this first.

 The remaining 16 chapters focus on how we view obedience to God’s will, and some simple principles to keep in mind as we pursue that. In the end, I couldn’t find anything that troubled me from the standpoint of legalism, and on the contrary, found confirmation of a faith-based approach to Holiness led by the Holy Spirit, which is exactly where Holiness must come from. 

By far the most important message to me is this: Our spirit works with the Holy Spirit (not “either/or” but “BOTH/AND”).  “… for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil 2:13).  This begins to reconcile a much bigger question I have about the interplay between “free will” and God’s sovereignty.  My summary below picks other ideas from each chapter that were personally most impactful.  

Chapters 1-16

1.     Holiness is for you - Romans 6:14 <> Victory is a byproduct of obedience, God commands us not to sin.

2.     The Holiness of God – 1 Peter 1:15-16 <> Because God is holy, He hates sin.  Do we justify sin by saying “I am growing in this area” instead of owning it?

3.     Holiness is not an option – Hebrews 12:14 <> Holiness is a requirement for fellowship with God, well being, our service and our assurance.

4.     The Holiness of Christ – 2 Corintians 5:21 <> We are secure because of Christ “I have come to do your will”

5.     A change of Kingdoms – Romans 6:6-7 <>The potential of resisting sin is NOT the same as the Responsibility for resisting sin.  Slaves after Lincoln were used as an example, though they were legally free, not all of them took responsibility for their freedom, but continued to live like slaves.

6.     The battle for Holiness – Romans 7:21 <> Our efforts toward denying sin: focus on “affections” glorifying God.  This relies on the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, avoiding the twin pitfalls of morbid introspection and “missing the real issues in our lives.

7.     Help in the Daily Battle – Romans 6:11 <> God uses scripture AND the Holy Spirit AND prayer AND dependence to expose sin.  

8.     Obedience Not Victory – Romans 8:13 <>Obedience to the Spirit not Victory/Defeat by the enemy. It is our spirit working with the Holy Spirit (not either/or but BOTH/AND).  “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil 2:13)

9.     Putting Sin to Death – Colossians 3:5 <> Mortify sin, Questions to ask yourself – “Is it helpful? An idol? Hurtful? Does it glorify God?  Saying no to sin makes it easier to say no next time.  These decisions must be made out of a conviction, a sense of obedience to God, not a judgment of others whose convictions are different.

10. The place of personal discipline – 1 Timothy 4:7 <> No such thing as instant godliness: Train yourself

11. Holiness in Body – 1Corintians 9:27 <> Plan before you approach Temptation

12. Holiness in Spirit – 2 Corinthians 7:1 <> Contentment is a function of (Trusting a sovereign God 1 Peter 2:23). Not revenge or retaliation

13. Holiness in our wills – Philippians 2:13 <>   The heart (Mind, Emotions, Will, Concience) is trained by TREASURING understanding

14. Habits of Holiness – Romans 6:19 <> Every sin reinforces the HABIT of sinning.  Repitition with the Holy Spirit in saying NO breaks the habit. 

15. Holiness and Faith – Hebrew 11:8 <> We need CONVICITON in necessity of obeying the revealed word of God and CONFIDENCE in His promises.

16. Holiness in an Unholy world – John 17:15 <>Our own holy life will serve as a sufficient rebuke.   Our interest in others is not in conduct but the need for Jesus as their savior.

17. The Joy of Holiness – Romans 14:17 <>  His love is not conditional on obedience, but our experience of it is.  1) Fellowship with God Ps 51:12, 2) Joy of obedience (Neh 8:10) and 3) anticipation of our reward.

The book is by far better than this summary.  Modern classic as Chuck Colson describes it.

Leap of Faith, Over and Over and Over again.

Brian Hall and his niece

Brian Boston starts a line....

  A picture you have seen before; a father, calling his child into a leap of faith. You might think that we put ourselves in this place where we have to jump, or He put us there for this reason.

Either way, you know the Father's heart here, He THRILLS at seeing the child jump!  Why?

• ...to see a child to learn they CAN do something they are afraid of?
• ...to enjoy the rush through His child?
• ...does He relish the trust and faith expressed by the child who EXPECT's to be caught?
• ...do fathers see the consequences of the FUN are actually contagious?

Anyone who has seen this watches the smallest children tremble in fear the first couple times. Then after 1 or two leaps, he starts to smile. Then, if there are other children nearby, a line will form and they will not stop taking leaps of faith. Fathers LOVE this! (I suspect mothers do too, though they are seen more prominently in the comforting moments when things don't go quite as expected :)

All this came to mind this morning as I read 2nd Peter, and we are reminded "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials" 2:9. He is patient, and therefore we should remain PATIENT, at PEACE and STABLE in the knowledge that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his great and precious promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the the divine nature..." v1:3 ff.

The last week has been unusually painful for me at home with my boys, inn the workplace and even with people who I am trying to fellowship with.  I know He is calling me back to this place, to RELY on, TRUST in and SMILE with Him.

Where does the child look?  Right into the Father's eyes!!  In the words of my dear brother Hank Mercier  "Come and enjoy God with us!" Partake.

Misty Edwards
Simple Devotion lyrics

Over and over and over and over again
I will stir up my soul to lay hold of You
Over and over and over and over again
I will stir up my soul to lay hold of
That which I cannot comprehend
Over and over and over and over again
Over and over and over and over again

And then I'll just lean into sovereignty
I'll embrace a mystery
And I'll just rest in You
As I bathe in truth
Over and over and over and over again
This is my simple devotion
My walk of faith, day by day
Over and over and over and over again

And then I hear You say
As You gaze over the balcony of heaven
I hear You say as You peer through the lattice of time
I hear You say as You stand in heaven
I hear You say as You rejoice over me
"O Angels! O Angels! Look and see!
Through that dark night of faith
She is gazing at Me!
O Angels! O Angels! Look and see!
Through that cloud of unknowing
She's gazing at Me!
And You have ravished My heart
My sister, My bride
With one glance of your eye!"
Over and over and over and over again..."

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

Am I a Treasure Seeker?

Steve Jobs, may not have been a Christian I told my boys this morning, but perhaps we can learn something from his life as we search diligently.  I read to my boys Sean and David from the Bible about searching, taking up their cross, with all their heart, because our King is not a “safe Lion, but he is good” (C.S. Lewis describing Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). I accept that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by him (John 14:6). What is our role? How then should we live?

Practically how does searching work out? According to Jeremiah, God has plans to prosper us, but we are to search with all our heart. The specific plans and dreams I search out are almost secondary to HOW I search…with all my heart, diligently as the Bereans who were counted by God as noble. (Acts 17:10).

Steve Jobs was a treasure seeker…perhaps of a different kind. But perhaps I can learn from his life, as he tells it. The danger of summarizing any thought is losing the precious context. Can you search for truth eagerly? “Cliff notes” abbreviated version below, (the questions are my own) full version here.

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die
Commencement speech at Stanford 2005


1. Connecting the Dots
“School, I couldn’t see the value in it”

Looking back…(dropping out) was one of the best decisions I ever made, I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the class I was interested in.

It is impossible to connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backward. You have to trust that the dots will connect in the future. Believing that the dots will connect down the road, that will give you the confidence to follow your heart.

• [Question: Do we search for God with ALL our heart, following and trusting Him to connect the dots? Do we believe He will work it out?]
  

2. Love and loss: Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“Publically I was let go from the focus of everything in my adult life…it was devastating. Public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley, but I still loved what I did.

“Getting fired was the best thing that could have ever happened to me” It freed me to be a beginner again. The heaviness of being successful was replace by the lightness of being a beginner, less sure about things. Freed me to be one of the most creative periods of my life. Started NeXt, Pixar.

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t lost my job at Apple. Sometimes life gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I am convinced that the one thing that kept me going is that I loved what I did. You have got to find what you love.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. …Keep looking, don’t settle.

• [Questions:

1. Do I hold onto or settle for less when it seems our dreams are dashed, or do I spring forward when I hit bottom, accepting change as positive, even sovereign for my future?
2. Do I enter as a little child? 
3. Did you know that adults smile 30 times per day on average, but children over 300?]

3. Death
“If you live each day as if it was your last, one day you will most certainly be right. I have looked on the mirror and asked myself, if today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tools I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

• [Question: If today was your last day, would you want to do (for God’s glory) what you are about to do, or are you MERELY doing what someone expects (dogma)? If someone took away all our commentary, all our recorded sermons, what would you say that you BELIEVE?]

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” Steve Jobs 2005
After this speech the iPhone and the iPad were brought to market. How am I searching?

Weep? Would you do this for your enemy?

A sin against the LORD so stunning it cannot be named by a single word: pride, arrogance, insolence, haughtiness.  This sin meets it's just end of desolation and great destruction for the nation of Moab in Jeremiah 48. Yet the Lord does not rejoice or boast, what does the Lord do? 

He weeps. This tells us more about the God we serve, than the Moabites. 

Moab was a people who born of Lot who worshiped a false God Chemosh, and sacrificed adults, even babies to him. They resisted Moses (Balak and Balam in Num 22-25),  Jehoram/Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:4-27), and the Lord even used them to help destroy His Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:2). 


There is something else, however, which unleashes the righteous fury of the LORD - their contempt for God’s people. "Moab and Seir said, 'Behold, the house of Judah has become like all the other nations'" (Ezekiel 25:8-11).  The Lord responds in vengeance "Cursed is  he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps his sword from bloodshed." (Jeremiah 48:10). 

Clearly, we see a jealous God.  In the midst of His fury, this is what the LORD said:

"I know his insolence, declares the Lord;his boasts are false,
his deeds are false.

Therefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.
Jeremiah 48:30-31;

What!  Wail???  This screams that our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Later in Mathew we read the testimony of Jesus, who again finds an unwilling group of children: 

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" Matt 23:37

"And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it" Luke 19:41

Today, in mourning I became a little more like the one I worship....  and He has comforted me by giving me Himself.  (Matt. 5:4)

Is 48:46
Jeremiah 48:46-47
Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
and your daughters into captivity.

Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

 

Imagine yourself as a living house. Mere Christianity

From an old friend, in one of his greatest surprises both in content and timing.... Thanks Andy.

I thought you might like this quote from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, one of my favorite books:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

ps (from Brad).  The picture is the future site of Restoring Lives West, a ministry of Lynhurst Baptist Church for homeless teens,  just south of Washington St.  in Indianapolis.  Even though it seemed beautiful on the outside, it needed a complete re-do on the interior.  We actually stripped this old house down to the studs on the inside, it seemed such a fitting picture of what C.S. Lewis describes about you and me.   Your will LORD.