Letting Go Too Soon

In Genesis 32:22ff Jacob, the Son of Isaac, is alone at night as he faces his potentially murderous brother Esau the next day. At some point during the night, "...a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day" v.24. This "man" was apparently Christ himself, in preincarnate form.

Jacob was desperate. He must have known he was not wrestling with an ordinary man. So, even though the wrestling match was extending to day break, and even though his "opponent" put his hip out of joint, Jacob would NOT LET GO. He doggedly announced, "I will not let you go unless you bless me" v.26.

And so, God blessed him by transforming him. This transformation is indicated by a change in NAME. "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed" v.28.

Jacob received a live-transforming blessing from God because HE WOULD NOT LET GOD GO UNTIL HE GAVE THE BLESSING. Is this not the message of the New Testament, as well? "KEEP ON asking, and you will receive, KEEP ON seeking and you will find, KEEP ON knocking and the door will be opened" Matthew 7:7. "Men should always pray and NEVER GIVE UP" Luke 18:1.

It is always too soon to give us asking, seeking, and knocking. Jacob is a visual for us of this ageless truth. Though God is the Almighty Sovereign One, we can prevail with Him if we refuse to quit crying out for the mercies and breakthroughs we need. Breakthroughs in:

• relationships
• sinful habits
• finding joy in Christ
• guidance
• deep character sin-weaknesses
• the salvation of a family member

Note also that before God blesses Jacob, he puts his hip out of joint. The limp that Jacob received seems to be the weakening of self-strength that is necessary before the blessing of God can be received and benefically used. A strong striding Jacob will never serve God's purposes as well as a limping Israel. Before the blessing comes the humbling.

A limping, dependent heart is the primary characteristic of God's princes.

So...if you are currently wrestling with God, DON'T GIVE UP! And, don't be surprised when God touches a place of supposed "strength" as a preparation for His blessing.

Why No Honor?

In Mark 6, Jesus is back in his home town of Nazareth. He teaches in the synagogue and astonishes the listeners. However, instead of this leading to HONOR, it leads to DISHONOR for Christ.

The home town folks begin to reason, "Hey, he's one of us! We know his family. He was a carpenter before he went on this itenerant tear throughout the country. Who does He think He is??"

Jesus' response to this? "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." Mark 6:4

What is it about hometown folks, family, even fellow church members that causes them to dishonor one of their own when others find it so easy to honor them?

• Is it jealousy? Are they envious that a hometown son or daughter has "made it good" while they have not (in their estimation)? Are they set on bringing him down a few notches in the estimation of others so that he is nearer their own level?
• Is it a basic misunderstanding of how God gifts and calls His children? 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that the triune God sovereignly gives gifts to His Spirit-indwelt children. But these gifts differ in kind, in how they are expressed, and in their effectiveness. These differences are basically God's doing. Is this dishonoring of the fruitful brother or sister an attack against God himself?
• Is it because this fruitful brother is living a God-centered, wholly-devoted, radically-trusting life and can therefore be used more fully than I can in my unbelieving, holding-back state? Is his/her very usableness and fruitfulness an indictment against my half-heartedness?
• Is it because WE want the glory and notice and honor and atta-boys of our fellow believers and can't stand the thought that someone else is stealing them from us?
• Is it because we have never learned to find our joy and contentment in Christ Himself, instead of in the praise of men? If what feeds the hunger and thirst of our soul is not Christ, there is no lasting or edifying satisfaction to be found.

Whatever the cause of dishonoring or refusing to honor our brothers and sisters in their service to God and to us...it is SIN.

• "Love...does not envy" 1Corinthians 13:4
• "Outdo one another in showing honor" Romans 12:10
• Regarding those who serve sacrificially, Paul writes, "...Honor such men."
• Elders (pastors) who serve well are worthy of "double honor" 1Timothy 5:17

Jesus' parable is surely true. But it SHOULD NOT BE TRUE OF US!! Especially in the church. We should honor one another, especially those who give their all in service to Christ and the church. Do you have good leaders? TELL THEM! AFFIRM THEM! Is there someone who loves you and encourages you? LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY BLESS YOU! SEND CARDS. SEND EMAILS. TELL OTHERS when they are in your presence. TAKE them to lunch. LET THEM KNOW you pray for them. BE SPECIFIC about how they bless you. TELL them that they are an example of faithfulness and servanthood. LET THEM KNOW that their service is NOT IN VAIN. WILL YOU HUMBLE yourself enough to EXALT SOMEONE else? Will you find your SATISFACTION in Christ alone so that you relate to others from a surplus that can honor and not a deficit that makes you a soul-parasite?

Let's be part of turning the tide of dishonor and lack of honor in the church.

Jesus - Healer of the Incurable

She had been an outcast for 12 whole years. No one would come near her...she was unclean. Had her husband divorced her? Anything and anyone she touched would become unclean, as well. She had tried all the doctors' expensive suggestions, but her condition only worsened. The Rabbis prescriptions came directly from the Talmud: "Carry a barley corn taken from the dung of a white she-donkey." How humiliating! Was her continued hemmorhaging due to secret and unforgiveable sin? She was broke, sick, rejected, and hopeless.

And then she overheard others excitedly talking from a distance. "Jesus, the Rabbi from Nazareth...he's healed the servant of a Centurion who was almost dead!" "Jesus casts out demons with a word!" "He's back in Capernaum and eveyone's going down to the Lake to see what He does next!"

But she couldn't go. She was forbidden to travel in crowds. The first recognition of her would send the familiar, heart-rending shrieks into the air, "UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!" and she would be chased away. But...she WOULD go. She would go and keep her face hidden. She would use her last ounce of strength to thread through the crowd and touch Him. No...to touch even the robe he wore. Sure a man this godly and this powerful causes all that touches Him to be CLEAN. Even one such as her.

She DID go...

He came towards her and the hundreds of others who wanted to get close enough for a front row seat when His next miracle was performed. The crush of the crowd was frightening. Was that the synagogue ruler ushering Jesus away? No matter. At the right moment, when Jesus was within arm's length...she grabbed His robe...and something happened.

12 years of bloody suffering immediately ended. For the first time in memory she felt whole, well, clean, "normal." But Jesus stopped the moment she touched Him. How did He know?! His disciples were incredulous at His question..."who touched Me?" They're ALL touching you! But someone touched Him with the touch of FAITH. He kept looking around. Power had gone out of Him; power to heal. "Who touched Me?" She knew instinctively that this One who could heal 12 years of uncleanness in a moment looked for her with an inexcapable gaze. She had to "come clean."

She fell at His feet and told Him the whole story.

Would He be angry that she brazenly touched Him with unclean hands? No, he called her "daughter."

"Your faith has saved you."

This made the difference between her touch and the mob's touch. It was the touch of faith.

What the doctors' potions and Rabbinic prescriptions could not keep from worsening...Jesus did. He cured the incurable. In a moment the unclean was made clean, the outcast was brought back into the family, the rejected was made worthy of embrace.

Jesus cures the incurable.

He cures the incurable:

• Relationship that no counselor could mend.
• Habit that no 7 or 12 steps or resolution could turn around.
• Depression that is encouragement resistant.
• Character weakness of laziness, gossip, critical spirit, anger that has ruled your life.

And He cures these things and MORE for the one who in bold, desperate faith will reach out and grab onto Him.

How Can I Help a Doubting Christian?

Suppose a friend who has shown real evidence of being a true believer in Christ is seriously doubting the reality of their faith. What can you do to help?

• Don't try to give them assurance of their salvation based on YOUR WORDS. You do not even know their heart. God does. Don't try to be God. Too many are comfortable that they are truly saved and safe for Heaven because a preacher or counselor assured them, after signing the card or praying the prayer, that they are now God's child and their name is written in Heaven.
• Point them to the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Let them hear Jesus' words in John 3 and John 6. If they have savingly trusted Jesus, He will bring them assurance. But He does this through His Word (1John 5:12-13).
• Allow them to struggle. God does some of His greatest and deepest work as His children struggle through to faith in Him and His Word. It is not an unhealthy thing to examine ourselves to see whether we are the real thing (2Corinthians 13:5). Sincere doubts can and often do lead to strong faith.
• Point them to Jesus. Jesus and Jesus alone is the object of saving faith (John 3:16). Encourage them NOT to look at their faith. It is not strong or sincere faith that saves, it is the OBJECT of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, that saves. HE saves. They MUST believe, that is true. But they must believe in JESUS, and Jesus alone. Hold Him out as the one mighty to save and to save to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25.
• Point them to the BIRTH MARKS of a true believer. Encourage them to a careful reading of 1John. The Gospel of John is written that we might believe and be saved. The Epistle of 1John is written that we might KNOW we are saved. Point them to: 1John 2:3; 2:10; 2:19; 2:22; 3:6; 3:23,24; 4:2; 4:6; 4:7; 4:15; 5:1; 5:12; 5:18. Are these things true of them in some measure? Direction is important here, not perfection. That is, have they been changing in these ways? Have they been fighting and overcoming some sin in their life? Do they believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do they love other believers?
• Point them to the exceeding great and precious promises that are given to those who believe. Keep holding out to them such glorious promises as: John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:35,37,40; John 10:27-29; Acts 16:31; and Romans 10:9,10.
• Pray for them. Pray that their eyes might be opened to the truth. Pray that the Lord Jesus Christ as mighty to save will become their focus.
• Hang in there with them. Do not belittle their struggles with doubt. Do not tell them that they shouldn't doubt. Hold Jesus out to them. Express confidence that asking and seeking and knocking at Jesus' door will result in answers and assurance. Let them know that you love them and will be there for them. Invite them to call, come over, email, etc.

May you yourself be assured that you belong to Christ and are held with His eternal grip and may God use you to help others to the same place.

Lessons from Homeless Ministry

I stayed up most of last night as the "watchman" and all-around servant for a group of nearly 30 folks who at present have no where to stay but in the sanctuaries and classrooms of willing churches who provide a warm place to sleep as temps outside reach -10 to -20 and lower with wind chills.

What did I learn from this brief stint (which for me is basically a once-a-year service) in ministry of compassion to the homeless?

• I don't like the homeless. Every year as I approach this yearly commitment there is dread and fear lurking in the shadows of my mind/emotions. Why? I wonder if I will have some of the whiney, "entitlement" folks who make this service a real challenge. I wonder how tired and weird I will feel after staying awake all night. I wonder if someone will get sick. Will there be a fight? Will they press me to "bend" the rules like someone inevitably does? I guess the real reason I don't like the homeless is that they are a challenge to the reality of my profession of belonging to Christ and having the Spirit of love living within me. They take me out of my comfortable box where things are planned and controlled and "my way." They make me see my heart in a way that I do not like to see my heart.
• I CAN LOVE the homeless. Each year I learn once again that "like" and "love" are not the same thing. "Like" is a feeling of attraction whereas "Love" is a CHOICE to ACT for the GOOD of someone else. I can love someone I don't like. And guess what? When I choose to love I often start to like!! I can love because love is a choice made by faith and supplied by the Spirit of God. I have NOT been given a spirit of fear (timidity, shrinking back from) but the Spirit of power, love, and self-control (2Timothy 1:7). This means that when I am naturally ready to shrink back from a challenge like loving the homeless I can LEAN into the situation and the relationship and LOVE them. I can be kind, patient, good, and humble before them and to them as I rely on the Spirit of God. He DOES come through...every time.
• There is JOY in loving by faith. After I press through my dislike and fears to love these who are made in the image of God and loved deeply by Him...miracle of miracles, I am happy. I have joy. I feel replenished, not depleted. I have partnered with my Lord in His work. I have reached out and touched one of society's marginals and confirmed their dignity and humanness. I have asked questions about their life, their plans. I have prepared their food, I have required them to follow the good rules set down for this time. And in doing this I am filled with the Spirit and therefore am given the joy that is His fruit.
• Exercising faith leads to the desire to exercise more faith (Romans 1:17). After seeing the folks off this morning and cleaning up I had the experience of thinking about more challenges of faith in serving Christ. I was ready to step out in more and greater ways.

May the Lord grant us each one to be pressed beyond our comfort zones for the exercising of faith and love in serving others, in whatever capacity, with whatever gifts, for their good and God's glory and our growth.

Loud Joy

In the book of Nehemiah, when the people dedicated the wall around Jerusalem that God had marvelously helped them build, there was a glorious worship service. Nehemiah records of their praises, "And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away" Nehemiah 12:43b. Apparently, the trumpets and singing and sacrifices and praise carried far off into the hearing of their pagan neighbors.

If there is anything that demonstrates the reality and goodness of the Sovereign, Living God it is His people's joy. In Nehemiah 8:10 the people were exhorted, "...the joy of the Lord is your strength." Why is the joy of God's people so important?

• Joy is the outward statement to the world that God is good and God is all satisfying. Gloomy Christians are sandwich boards with the message, "God is a joy robber," or "Life with Christ is depleting." Joy from the heart and on the face and in the voice of believers says, "God is the source of true happiness and satisfaction," and "Come, taste and see that the Lord is good." Is there a greater witness of the God of the gospel than joy?
• Joy is the fuel of a life of constant celebration. The world around us says, "Party!" But if you have ever been a part of these parties, there's plenty of pretending going on in the effort to convince the participants that real satisfaction is taking place. If you blow air into a human's stomach they will feel full, but do it long enough and they will at the same time starve to death. Blow the substitute "happiness" of this world into the body and soul of a man or woman (sex outside of a committed marriage relationship, anesthetizing drugs, fantasy in a thousand forms, money, "success", etc.) and they will at the moment feel full, but at the same time they will be starving to death for what they were made for...WHO they were made for.
• Joy has HOPE in it. As the Jews celebrated God's sovereign hand in helping them build the wall in the face of opposition, they were also encouraged to believe that this same God would CONTINUE to be their help. Loud expressions of joy steady up the heart for the future because they focus us squarely on God, the source of our hope.

When you are worshiping in your church with your fellow believers, do you dare SHOW your joy? When you are chatting with your neighbor, do you allow them to see your joy or to hear about the Source of it? Could it be that at the bottom of your soul weakness is a failure or refusal to see what God has been doing in your life and to respond to it with loud joy? Loud joy is not obnoxious, it merely gives the heart's overflowing response to God's grace an outlet.

May the joy of your heart be heard far away...for God's glory and your good and your neighbor's salvation.

Killing Sin Within - 4

In this 4th installment of our explanation and expansion of John Owen's Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers we will focus on the meaning of the command, "mortify."

"Mortify" is a metaphorical expression meaning to put something to death. To put something to death is to take away the very source of its strength and its power so that it cannot act or exert its strength any more.

Indwelling sin is compared to a living person, also called "the old man." It is like a man with his faculties, his wisdom, his craftiness, his subtlety and his strength. All of this must be "mortified" or put to death so that the sin that is living within us can no longer exert its strength and master us. All this strength is taken away by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Spirit does this by applying the results of the Cross of Christ to our lives, and thus the old man is said to be, "crucified with Christ" Romans 6:6 and "dead" with Him, Romans 6:8. At our conversion, a principle or power contrary to indwelling sin was planted in us, Romans 6:3-5. This work of putting to death sin by the new power of the Spirit and the cross within is carried on by degrees towards perfection all our days.

The goal of this command to "mortify the deeds of the body" Romans 8:13 is:

• that the indwelling sin remaining in our bodies may no longer have the life and power to produce the deeds of the flesh (sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these - Galatians 5:19-21).
• Rather, that the Spirit will produce in us the "fruit of the Spirit": love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control - Galatians 5:22-23.

HOW this is to be done is still coming!!

The Storm Stopper

At the end of a very busy day (teaching extensively to large crowds, being accused by leaders of doing ministry by Satan's power, resisting the attempt of family to kidnap him because they considered him crazy...) Jesus commanded his disciples to take him and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. With his boat was a whole floatilla of others boats. Mark 4:35-41

The Sea of Galilee is a very beautiful spot on planet earth. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet (630' or so below sea level). It is surrounded by hills and mountains. Because of its geographical features, sudden storms are not uncommon. Winds descend from the surrounding mountains and the recently placid lake becomes the scene of fierce storms of near hurricane strength. Such was the case at the end of this very busy and exhausting day for Christ and his disciples.

A great windstorm arose at some point in their crossing. The waves were so large they were breaking over the boat and filling it quickly with water. They were in danger for their lives. The disciples were frantic. Remember, at least some of these disciples were fishermen. This was THEIR lake. They knew it. They knew its storms. And they knew when conditions were so bad that their very lives were in danger. This was one of those times. "Master...we are perishing!" v.38.

Where was Jesus? "...He was in the stern (back of the boat), ASLEEP on the cushion" v.38a. There are several things to note here:

• Jesus' sleeping in the midst of a hurricane shows just how EXHAUSTED he was. The One who came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45) had been doing so with ALL his might. And Jesus' exhaustion shows us the full colors of his HUMANITY. This one who had already turned water to wine, who had cast out demons with a word, who had healed all kinds of diseases instantaneously, and who would soon give nature orders that would be promptly obeyed...was also a man. He was dogged tired. His energy was spent. Why is it so important to recognize his humanity? Because UNLESS Jesus was both God AND man, He could not have died as the substitute for sinners. He had to be God so that his sacrifice had infinite value and he had to be man...perfect man...to die for men. He was...Hebrews 10:5-10. Therefore, this scene of the exhausted Jesus should be very precious to us who have been eternally forgiven through the offering of this very real human.
• Jesus' dead-to-the-world sleep also gave the perishing disciples the appearance that he didn't CARE. "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" They were in the storm of their life and Jesus was asleep. They had left families and jobs, they had risked the crushing vise of the mobs who followed Jesus, they had endured the reputation slaughter of the Pharisees for this Rabbi, and now, when death was imminent, he was snoozing. What would you think? What would you do?

Has it ever seemed to you, in the middle of life's storms, that Jesus was asleep on the cushion? You are being overwhelmed by the waves of a breaking relationship, or a financial collapse, or a baseless accusation that you can't defend yourself against, or a child that is rebelling, or decisions that are too many and too complex to begin to sort out, or a general dark and forboding depression...and it seems Jesus is nowhere to be found. I bet you have been there or that you ARE there.

At that point, two basic decisions can be made.

One: accuse Jesus of not caring and turn away from him.

Two: go to Jesus in the storm and cry out to him.

Which have you done? Which are you doing? The disciples were not demonstrating exemplary faith in the sinking boat with the snoozing Savior, but THEY DID GO TO HIM AND CRY OUT TO HIM! They "roused" him with their cries for help. Result: "...He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." v.39

Jesus was in the boat. The exhausted Rabbi was also the Divine Storm Stopper. Had the disciples really known this, they would not have been so frantic and desperate. And this storm was meant to teach them more about this man in order to strengthen their faith in him.

But it is not to be overlooked that the disciples WENT TO JESUS, even with "frantic" faith. And He arose and rescued them.

Are you in a storm of life? GO TO JESUS! With your imperfect, frantic faith. With your thoughts that he is asleep when you need him most. Cry to him. Rouse him with your prayers. You will find that he was not really asleep like Jesus was in the boat, but that "the Lord watches over the way of the righteous" Psalm 1:6. This storm has its purposes:

• To teach you who Jesus is: theology class in the storm
• To teach you to cry out in the time of trouble: glorifying Jesus in the storm (Psalm 50:15)

A Mind to Work

Do you like to work? Do you like to work HARD? What kind of worker are you? When you are serving in the church, how do you work? When others describe how you work, what kinds of words do they use?

The Scriptures tell us very simply: "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" Proverbs 10:4.

The returned exiles in Nehemiah were working very diligently and because of that they were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem at a record pace. This was happening in spite of overt opposition by the peoples surrounding them. Why did they work so hard?

There are numbers of reasons, but the primary reason given is, "...the people had a mind to work" Nehemiah 4:6. Where did this mind to work come from?

• It came from God. Everything we see happening in Nehemiah is the result of God fulfilling His promise to return His people to their land and to rebuild the temple. The heart of King Artaxerxes was in the hand of the Lord to allow Nehemiah to return and to give him help and supplies, 2:1-8. Nehemiah had a heart to fast and pray and make request of the King, etc. because of God's sovereign preparation of him for the work. It was the testimony of God's sovereign hand in sending Nehemiah that gave the people encouragement to do the work, 2:17ff.
• It came from Nehemiah. Nehemiah was obviously an accomplished individual who had gifts and abilities that made him qualified to be the King's cupbearer (a position of great influence, having access to the King. He would most likely be pleasant in appearance, wise, trusted, and of strong character). Note: Nehemiah had a PLAN. He studied the present state of the wall, factored in what would be needed to do the work and supply the work, and then presented it to the people. It KILLS our mind to work if we have no plan for it. Hope often comes in the form of a PLAN, because a plan says, "It can be done, and here's how." Note also: the people's mind to work came from Nehemiah's challenge/encouragement: "Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem" 2:17. Often all we need is for someone to say to us, "Come on, lets do this!" or "You can do this, God will be with you." or "Go for it!" Is there someone in your life who gives you encouragement and challenge to do what God has called you to do. That can make the difference between knowing what you should do and doing it.

How can you get a "mind to work"? From God. Cry out to Him for motivation. Ask Him to make clear what you are to do and how you are to do it (a PLAN) and when you are to do it. Ask for a mind to work with all your might and concentration and persistence until the work is done. BELIEVE that as God calls to the work, so He supplies all that is needed for the work.

Then, ask God for Nehemiahs in your life who will be the voice of challenge and encouragement to you to do God's will and to do it diligently and joyfully. Be a Nehemiah to someone else.

Killing Sin Within - 3

I want to continue to paraphrase and expand on John Owen's classic, "Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers."

When the apostle Paul writes, "...put to death the deeds of the body...", what does he mean by "body"?

"Body" is the same as "the flesh" in the beginning of Romans 8:13, "If you live according to the flesh you will die..."

Body stands for the corruption and depravity of our natures that is located in and works through our physical body and its parts. What is meant is indwelling sin, the flesh that is working and lusting for sin. "Body" here is equivalent to "the old man" and the "body of sin" in Romans 6.

What does Paul mean by "the deeds of the body"?

This phrase refers to the outward actions, "the works of the flesh" as they are called in Galatians 5:19. But even though the phrase refers on the surface to outward actions, the INWARD causes of them are also, and even primarily intended. The deeds of the flesh are to be put to death at their ROOT, where their very life proceeds from. They are called "deeds" because this is what every sinful craving and lust results in unless it is stopped by a greater power and desire. Lust always has as its goal outward sin.

And so, in putting to death the deeds of the body, we are not just aiming at our physical actions: overeating, laziness, speaking hurtful words, etc. We ARE aiming to change these kinds of sinful actions, we are looking to "put off" the habits of the old life and "put on" the Christ-habits of the new. But in order for habits of action to be truly changed their ROOT or source must be dealt with. Those roots are utterly evasive to human effort and resolutions and determination. Only "by the Spirit" can the lust of the inner man be dealt deadly blows.

More on this to come.

Killing Sin Within - 2

Who is this condition and promise in Romans 8:13 for?

"...But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Who is "you"?

The "you" of course, refers to believers. Those Paul says in 8:1 "..are in Christ Jesus." It is "us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" v.4. It is those who "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit" v.9. It is those in whom dwells the Spirit of Christ, v.9.

This requirement of putting to death the deeds of the body CANNOT be given to any but those who have the Spirit within. Why? Because ONLY BY THE SPIRIT can we successfully war against the flesh, the sinful principle and power within us.

But if you ARE in Christ and His Spirit lives in you, then you not only CAN but you MUST put to death the deeds of the flesh. This command along with its promise is for you. You cannot plead that you are too weak (that is a granted) or that you are not equipped or that your background ill fits you for this war (who has anything but a dead-in-sin background when they come to Christ?) or that you are not properly motivated or that you have failed too many, many, many times or that your spouse or present situation makes it impossible.

In and of ourselves, of course, we will always lose in this war. Always. That is why we are told "by the Spirit" to fight it. The very best me may strike a temporary blow against the flesh and think its downfall is well on the way. But flesh can NEVER win against flesh. The flesh is wilely. It will lie down and play dead only to rise up again in the midst of my premature celebration and draw me like a 10-ton tow truck back into sin...worse than ever before.

But with the Spirit of God living within WE CAN WIN THIS WAR. We ARE the kind of people who can fight successfully against sin and live progressively holy lives. We must get that fact down. This is NOT positive thinking...this is biblical reality, this is the promise of God. This is what God HAS ALREADY DONE in me if I am Christ's. I will not wage into the war with my all if I doubt the final outcome.

When I was a kid some bullies met me and some friends at the edge of the woods one day and commandeered some worthless boards we had found away from us. I went home pretty shaken and told my dad. Dad got up and led me back to the location of the bullies. They were still hanging around. He confronted them and they meekly gave back the wood with an apology. What was the difference between being bullied and having the bullies meekly apologize? Dad! Bigger, stronger, packing authority I could only dream of. Dad made the difference.

Friends...the Spirit. Infinitely strong, God very God, unable to lose in the battle against the flesh. He lives within. The bully flesh cannot win IF we are willing and learn to do battle in the Spirit. The HOW will come. But for now...remember, believe it, step out in the reality of the indwelling Spirit in your daily battle against sin within. DO NOT give up! HE is with you, He is within you.

Killing Sin Within - 1

I hope here to begin a series of posts that are rewrites and expansions of John Owen's tremendous treatise called, "Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers" written some time in the mid-1600's. This little book is about how we as believers can win the daily battle against sin in our lives so that we can walk in obedience and joy and peace with God.

First, the term "mortification" means "to put to death". The key verse for Owen's work is Romans 8:13:

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Chapter 8 of Romans is Paul's gospel answer to the question, "Who will deliver me from this body of death" in 7:24. That is, in what way can I become a man who not only LOVES God's law but LIVES it, as well. If when I want to do good evil is present with me (7:21), how can I do the good that I want and not the evil that I do NOT want to do? The answer, of course, is the Spirit! "...The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" (8:1).

In Romans 8:13, as we think about killing the sin within that would make us its slaves, there is:

• A DUTY given: "Put to death the deeds of the body"
• The PERSONS to whom the duty applies are defined: "You" i.e. believers, as Paul clearly defines in many places, including 8:9: those who have the indwelling Spirit.
• There is a PROMISE given: "You will live"
• Then there is a means or RESOURCE for this duty: "By the Spirit"
• Finally, there is a CONDITION for the promise to be fulfilled: "IF by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live"

Let's begin with the condition, "IF by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live." What we are told here is that there is an certain and infallible connection between putting sin to death in our lives and the attaining of eternal life. IF we put sin to death, we WILL live!

WHOA!! you might say. Wait a minute...you mean we are saved by sanctification (progressively becoming like Christ, in which we are involved) and not justification (God's declaration that we are righteous in His sight because we have trusted in His Son, something God does FOR us and does in a moment of time)? NO, not for a moment. We are saved by Christ's work, not our own. But this we must realize...true justification always results in ongoing sanctification. If I have been saved, then I have been given a new heart that is motivated to love and obey God. Love and obey perfectly? Again, NO! But what we are talking about here is DIRECTION, not PERFECTION. True believers WILL wage war against the sin within...not without failure, and never totally eradicating sin (even a particular sin) in this life, but warring nonetheless.

John makes this clear in his first epistle: "No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known Him" 1John 3:6.

And so, this CONDITION narrows those to whom the promise applies by identifying them as the truly saved AND, it supplies the MOTIVATION for killing sin day by day in our lives. If I am warring against sin by the Spirit, I am assured that I am demonstating the character of one of God's true children. If I am warring against sin by the Spirit I can be sure I will be with Jesus in Heaven forever, eternal life. I WANT to live, and I WANT to show in my daily life that I belong to Christ. Therefore, I must by the Spirit be putting to death the deeds of the body.

Think on these things!

O Give Me the Heart of an Ezra

Ezra was a scribe, an expert in the law of God and a teacher of that law. He was sent by King Artaxerxes to Jerusalem during the time of the rebuilding of the temple.

Ezra 7:10 gives us the key to Ezra's life and effective ministry:

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel."

4 things to note here:

1. Ezra had SET his heart to study and do and teach the law of the Lord. To SET meant he made a firm decision...his heart was established firmly in this direction...this was something he was deeply committed to do, regardless. Do we not often fail in our "resolutions" in spiritual things because we are not SET in our heart to do them? This SET is part of a redeemed heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27), but it is also a conscious choice. It is a conscious choice that the Holy Spirit will second and support! And it is a choice that includes the choice to NOT do things that are lesser in value and strategic importance.

2. Ezra has set his heart to STUDY the law of the Lord. This is more than casual reading. This is digging into the marrow of the Word, applying the mind and principles of study to look at parallel passages, to study the meaning of words, to follow the context, to be concerned with grammar, to know something of the history and culture of the period of the writing, etc. It means to keep notes, preserving insights. It means to do it day after day. It means to carve out a time in my schedule. Reading is important and necessary. But STUDY sucks up the minerals of life that are richly embedded in the Word.

3. Ezra set his heart to study and DO the law of the Lord. Ezra understood that knowledge of the Word was for DOING! God has not given a trivia book for the ages, He has given a manual for life for His people. A manual for LIFE!! The law, the Word, the precepts are to be DONE! Application to life is the end of true and beneficial study. My heart may be set on studying, but is it set on doing? If not, then "knowledge puffs up" (1Corinthians 8:1), and I am engaging in self-deceit, thinking I am becoming something that I am nothing (James 1). We are to be doers of the Word. Everytime I go into the Word I should be asking, "Lord, what do you want me to DO as a result of reading and studying this passage?"

4. Ezra set his heart to study and do and TEACH God's statutes and rules in Israel. Those who study and do are ready to teach and can teach with success. If I am only a walking notebook, I will only pass on dead information to others. However, if I am a doer of the Word, I can teach the living Word with all the nuances of application and wisdom that come from learning by doing. The Word learned is meant to be passed on to others. How? By teaching a class, by BLOGGING (who would have thought?), by sharing over coffee with friends, by devotions with the kids, in prayer with others, in exhortation that you give to others, in letters, in emails, etc. There are so many ways to pass it on.

May God grant to me the heart of an Ezra in 2008. And may He do the same for you.

Prayer for the Nations begins with US

Psalm 67 is the cry of one of God's people for the nations to know God's ways and His salvation and ultimately to become His worshipers. But this prayer for the nations does not begin as you'd expect. It does not begin with, "Lord, save them!" It begins rather with, "Lord, bless us" v.1.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us"

This may have the familiar ring of selfishness to it...but wait! In v.2 the purpose of receiving this gracious blessing of God is seen,

"That your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations."

The two purposes for which God's blessings are asked:

1. That GOD's ways and salvation may be known. God bless us so that the nations may see what kind of God you are. You are a God, you are THE God whose ways are gracious and righteous. You are THE God who keeps covenant with His people.

2. That seeing God's ways and saving power, the nations may be become WORSHIPERS of the one true God. The narcissistic rulers of this age and the gods made in fallen man's image are all revealed for the manipulative death mongers they are when held up to the God of saving grace.

"Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" v.3

But note...the revealing of God's ways and salvation so that the nations become His worshipers happens because of God's blessing to His people. Therefore, we should pray with all our might for God to bless us so that He will be revealed to the nations.

What kinds of blessing from God should we pray for? Here are 4 suggestions:

1. God bless us that we might be HOLY. Godliness in God's people shines like light in this dark world. Careful and joyful obedience to God's Word makes us light and salt in this dark, rotting place. Will you pray for God to make you a holy, obedient disciple for the sake of His reputation and the salvation of the nations?

2. God bless us with the resources and heart for MISSIONS. Beginning in our Jerusalem and going to the uttermost parts of the earth...that is God's heart and His mission. Will it be ours? Will you pray that God might use you to cross barriers of culture and language and economics to tell and demonstrate His ways and gospel?

3. God bless us with the willingness to embrace the WORLD THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT TO US. The people of the uttermost parts are immigrating at amazing rates. They are near you and near me. Why are they coming? To make a better living? To escape tyrants? To raise children in freedom? To get an education? Yes...but more than any of these things they are here for people like us to love and share the good news. Will you pray that God might hook you up with someone from another nation living in your area for His glory and their salvation?

4. God bless us to clearly understand the gospel and to winsomely share it with others. Too many professing believers do not know the gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached. They have only heard watered down easy believism that produces professors but not possessors. Will you pray that God would help you to learn the biblical gospel this year and how to share it wisely and winsomely with others?

These prayers for blessing WILL BE ANSWERED, for they are God's will for each of us. So...pray for God to bless you!! Do it daily. Persist in it. But remember that His glory and the nation's salvation and worship is the blessing's purpose.