Discipleship Week 7: Focus on the Cross

Philippians 2:5-11

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

This is a powerful passage about the humiliation, self-sacrifice, death, and exaltation of Jesus Christ. And while much can and has been said regarding these verses, it seems for this task of discipleship it is important to note that nothing in these verses is sanitary, clean, and easily digestible. In verses 6-8 Jesus’ humiliation and self-sacrifice goes all the way to his death, there is nothing partial or casual about it. In verses 9-11 Jesus’ exaltation and Lordship is seen clearly and powerfully, and bold claims to his divinity are made. And speaking of Jesus’ death on the cross in verse 8 would have been shocking and offensive to most if not all of Paul’s first century audience. D.A. Carson notes that Paul’s reference to the cross would be similar to us putting a picture of the mass graves at Auschwitz in the front of our churches. There is nothing casual about this passage!

But this passage begins with this simple statement: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” So this powerful passage is not just a bold description of our Lord and Savior and a vivid description of his sacrifice for us, it is also a pastoral exhortation: how we live and how we interact with each other should reflect the mindset of Christ laid out in this passage. And if our relationships with each other truly do reflect Christ’s mindset, it will be a powerful witness and the gospel message will clearly advance.

1. How should the total humiliation and self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ shape how you live and interact with each other?

2. How should the brutality of the cross and Jesus’ willingness to die on the cross for us shape how you live and interact with each other?

3. Often we do not think of Jesus as Lord but as a nice spiritual accessory to our lives. How should the Lordship of Jesus Christ shape how you live and interact with each other?

The best solution for dealing with pain, loss and hardship at Christmas is…Christmas!

One of my favorite Christmas television specials of all time is A Charlie Brown Christmas. Discouraged by all of the commercialism he sees around him at Christmas time (evidenced by the brightly colored aluminum Christmas trees, Snoopy decorating his dog house, and of course…Lucy), Charlie Brown wonders what Christmas is really all about. In response his friend Linus eloquently points him to Luke 2 in the King James Version, and from that passage tells him what Christmas is really all about. And every December as parties get scheduled, lights and decorations are put up, wish lists are made, and shopping needs pile up, it is always good to have Linus’ reminder: We need to focus on Jesus, for he really is the “reason for the season.”

But commercialism is not the only thing that can take our focus off of Jesus during the Christmas season. While Christmas is a time of celebration and joy for many, for many others it is a very difficult time. We see other families coming together and it painfully reminds us of the issues, conflicts, and even dysfunction in our own family. We see people go on Christmas shopping sprees and it reminds us of our own financial struggles that will not simply go away with a little Christmas cheer. For those who are grieving Christmas can be a very difficult time because we are reminded of who we have lost, and the pain that comes with that loss is a little sharper. So while many experience great joy and excitement during Christmas, there are also many that experience significant pain and hardship during this time.

Thankfully the Christmas story is not only a remedy for a bad case of commercialism. In addition to reminding us that Jesus is “the reason for the season,” the Christmas story also gives great comfort and encouragement to all Christians, especially to those who are dealing with pain, loss, and hardship, because through that story we see God’s deep love for us, we see God identifying with us, and we see God’s power and control over all things, including our lives. The best source of comfort and encouragement during our Christmas struggles really is…Christmas.

God’s Love

One of the first verses our kids learned in Awana (and Sunday School and preschool!) is a very powerful truth: “God loved us and sent his Son.” (1 John 4:10). In the previous verse John writes : “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9). And in a verse that will be familiar to many, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). The common thread in each of these verses is that God showed his love for us through sending his Son. God not only sent his Son into the world, he sent his Son into the world to die for our sins! God sending his Son into the world was an incredibly lavish, amazingly deep act of love!

So in addition to celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ at Christmas, we can also celebrate and remember how deeply God loves us. And this is a powerful truth for all of us to reflect on, especially those who are struggling with a bad relationship, identity issues, a lack of self-esteem, or other situations where there is a lack of love from others or from themselves. The love God showed in sending his Son is the same deep, lavish love that God has for us today. God does not change (James 1:17), therefore his love for us does not change. Whatever our circumstances, we can be confident and rest in the fact that our God deeply loves and cares for us.

God’s Identification with Humanity

Not only do we see God’s love for us powerfully displayed at Christmas, we also see a God who is willing to fully identify with humanity. It can be easy to gloss over the reality of Jesus being born in a stable; we like to think of a quaint little manger scene. But Jesus was born in a dirty stable, where animals lived. A nice clean, comforting environment this was not! Thankfully most of us were not born in such circumstances! But Jesus being born into such a hostile environment was the beginning of how Jesus, being fully God, identified with a broken and sinful humanity. In his book, Jesus Driven Ministry, Ajith Fernando notes that being born in a stable was the beginning of a lifetime of many hardships for Jesus. After being born he became a refugee, he then lived in a town that many despised and made fun of, and later he had to take over the family business when his father died, eliminating the chance of a better education.[i] Jesus experienced many of the hardships we experience in this life.

But Fernando also notes that Jesus’ identification with humanity also included experiencing the emotional pain that we all experience at various times in our lives:

“His parents did not understand him when as a boy he spent time in the Jerusalem temple talking to the leaders there (Luke 2:50). His family initially thought he was insane and did not believe in him (Mark 3:21). Though he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, he allowed himself to be so moved by the tears of Lazarus’ sister that he himself wept (John 11:35). His closest friends did not understand the heart of his mission. One of these friends stole from their common purse (John 12:6) and later betrayed him. Another friend vehemently denied knowing him. On the night before his death, shortly after he had demonstrated servanthood by washing the feet of these friends, they argued amongst themselves about who was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Then they forsook him and fled when he was arrested (Matthew 26:56). His opponents constantly accused him falsely, even attributing his acts of kindness to Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24). Through their false accusations, they finally succeeded in getting him crucified.”[ii]

Jesus, being fully human as well as fully God, experienced the pain and suffering of family issues and conflict, people doubting him, friends misunderstanding him and rejecting him, and opponents viciously attacking him. Isaiah 53:3 prophesied this truth about Jesus as the coming Messiah: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…” Jesus experienced full range of pain and suffering that we experience on a regular basis!  And now that he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, interceding for us on our behalf (Romans 8:34), we can be confident that Jesus, God the Son, fully understands the struggles that we are going through.  

Beginning with the Incarnation at Christmas, Jesus Christ was and is able to fully identify with our brokenness and our struggles. This should encourage us! Often we are hesitant to share our struggles with others because of the idea that “they haven’t experienced what I’m going through,” or “they just don’t understand.” This may or may not be true. But what is true and vastly far more significant is that God DOES understand what we are going through. He understands our pain and suffering and brokenness because he has experienced it himself! We can always cry out to a God who understands exactly where we are in our pain. And because he understands where we are, how we are struggling, and what we need, HE can mobilize and equip God’s people to love us and care for us in the way that we need, even if they have not experienced the pain that we have. Christmas not only reminds us of God’s love for us, it reminds us of God identifying himself with our brokenness, and how God is able to meet us exactly where we are, and love and care for us in our struggles. Because of his identification with us, God truly is, “The God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

God’s Power and Control

Finally, the Christmas story gives us comfort and encouragement because it shows God’s power and control over all things, including our lives. The manger scene depicting an innocent, helpless baby born into humble circumstances does help us see Jesus’ identification with us, as discussed above. But we deprive ourselves if we only focus on that aspect of the Christmas story and fail to see the power and control and glory of God on display at the birth of Christ. In the Christmas story we see angels foretelling the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1), angels directing shepherds to leave their flocks to come to the newborn king, and choirs of angels giving glory to God in spectacular fashion (Luke 2). We also see God orchestrating people’s movements, such as the wise men travelling a great distance to see Jesus and then being warned in a dream not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:1-12), and we see God moving in history to accomplish his purposes, such as using a census given by Caesar Augustus to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-5), where it had been prophesied the Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2).

God’s power and control over and through the Christmas story is even evident in the way the Gospels are structured. The beginning of the Gospel of Luke highlights the powerful emperor Caesar seemingly in control of everything at the beginning of Jesus’ life. But at the end of Acts (which Luke also wrote; Luke and Acts are widely considered to be a two volume work) we see another showdown between Jesus and Caesar, this time with Paul in Rome under house arrest, right under Caesar’s nose, “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31). These Christ/Caesar showdowns get used as bookends for Luke-Acts, and implicitly but boldly state that even with the birth of the baby Jesus, God’s kingdom is going forward and God’s plan of redemption though Jesus Christ will not be thwarted.[iii] God is in complete control of the entire Christmas story!

And just as God is in complete control of the Christmas story, God is in complete control of our lives. Even during the most difficult and devastating times in our lives, God is in complete control. Romans 8:28 is a powerful and encouraging reminder of this truth: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.” God is in control even our lives seem to be spiraling out of control. God is with us even when we struggle to feel his presence. The circumstances in our lives which are chaotic and stressful to us are not so to God, because he is in complete control of all things. When our circumstances seem bleak and hopeless, God is in control and in him there is ALWAYS hope. We can always have peace in God regardless of what is going on in our lives, because God is in control.

Several years ago our church’s choir and music ensemble performed “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” originally a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow wrote this poem during the American Civil War, not long after his wife had been killed in a tragic accident and his son had been severely wounded in battle. Wrestling with his grief, he heard the bells ring on Christmas morning, 1864, and began to write. In some of the stanzas his grief and frustration are clear:

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

And yet in the midst of that grief Longfellow wrote profound and encouraging words that evidence God’s control:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor does he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"[iv]

“God is not dead; nor does he sleep!” God is alive and is at work and is in control of every part of our lives, and because of that, we can have peace this Christmas. Our lives may continue to be filled with pain and hardship, but two things are clear: 1) God is working all things, even our pain and struggles together for good, and 2) we can be at peace even in the midst of the hardship. God is in control.

Conclusion

Many of you may be struggling this Christmas season. It can be a very hard season when struggling with grief, conflict, financial hardship and many other difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in. But the best source of comfort and encouragement during our Christmas struggles really is Christmas! Through Christmas God’s deep love for us is revealed, God’s identification with our struggles and pain is made clear through Jesus’ birth, and God’s power and control over all things, including our lives, is strongly affirmed from every part of the Christmas story. If you are struggling or experiencing pain, loss, or hardship this Christmas, let God’s love for you, understanding of your struggles, and sovereignty over all things minister to your soul. And if you know someone who is struggling this Christmas, share these awesome truths with them so that they too can truly experience Peace on Earth.

Merry Christmas!

 Notes:

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[i] Ajith Fernando, Jesus Driven Ministry (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2002), 18. Fernando goes on to point out that this lack of education was seen as a disqualification of Jesus when he began his public ministry (John 7:15). Obviously this was not a problem for God, but it does further illustrate the struggles and frustrations that Jesus shared with humanity.

[ii] Fernando, 18-19.

[iii] Sean McDonough, “Birth of Christ,” from online course: Life of Jesus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2002.

[iv] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” verses 3&4 in Peace on Earth: A Christmas Musical, by Deborah Craig-Claar & Robert Sterling (Nashville: Word Music, 2007), 103-106. 

Discipleship Week 6: Gospel-Centered Self-Denial

Philippians 1:24-26

“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

In the previous passage Paul rejoices because despite his imprisonment, the gospel message has continued to advance. Here he continues to rejoice in verse 19, in the hope of his deliverance. I would know that for me, if I was in Paul’s situation I would think of my deliverance as being freed from prison. My prayers would most likely be along the lines of “get me out of jail God!” My guess is that many of you would pray the same prayer! But Paul does not see deliverance in those terms. Rather, he sees deliverance in terms of vindication; regardless of what happens to him, life or death, his hope is that Christ will be honored in him. This is an awesome act of selflessness for the glory of Jesus Christ!

This selflessness continues as he asks a hypothetical question of himself: is it better for him to die and go to heaven, or live and continue in ministry? It is hypothetical because he has no power to determine his own fate. He is in prison after all! But his selflessness is seen in that while it would clearly be better for him to die and be in heaven with Christ, he recognizes that it is better for the Philippians for him to live and continue his ministry when he gets out of prison.

So Paul’s desire to live has nothing to do with himself. He has no interest in long life, prosperity, personal success, health, and wealth. His sole concern is that those he has reached with the gospel continue to grow in the gospel! The spiritual health of the Philippians stands at the center of Paul’s self-denial. This is gospel-centered, self-denial.

What does this mean for us? Well, is the salvation of others and the spiritual health of others the basis for your own self-denial? Are you willing to deny yourself for the sake of others around you? There are so many things in our world that are not necessarily bad but that can make us selfish: money, technology, careers, grades…even friendships and family can become more about us than about others. But are we willing to set aside our selfishness and deny ourselves for the sake of those around us being reached with the gospel?

1. In what ways is self-denial easy for you? In what ways is it difficult?

2. There are an almost endless number of ways that we can participate in furthering the gospel, both here at home and around the world. In what ways are you prepared to deny yourself to participate in this mission to advance the gospel? If God called you to surrender long term career goals, financial stability, and more to participate in spreading the gospel, would you do it? If not, why not?

3. What are some ways that you are selfish instead of selfless? What would your life look like if you emulated Paul’s selflessness in those areas where you are currently selfish?

Discipleship Week 5: Gospel-Centered Goals and Aspirations

Philippians 1:12-18a

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (1:12-14)

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison in Rome, and he is in prison because he had gone to Jerusalem where he was not popular, got arrested, and ultimately appealed to Caesar (Acts 21-26). It would appear that his actions led some Christians to question him and whether getting arrested and appealing to Caesar was the best thing for the advance of the gospel. But Paul is clear that his imprisonment is furthering the gospel. The guards watching him have heard the gospel, news of the gospel has spread throughout the entire imperial guard (thousands of men), and because of Paul’s imprisonment others are preaching the gospel more boldly. Even those with mixed motives are preaching the gospel (i.e. “Look at me. I’m not like Paul who got himself arrested. What a waste! I’m still out here so I can preach the gospel.).

What is fascinating about Paul here are his goals and aspirations… His primary goal is not to get out of prison, nor to have everyone like him, or even to try and justify himself and his actions in appealing to Caesar. His primary goal is to see the gospel advanced. Because of this he rejoices in the various ways the gospel is being preached. Therefore the advance of the gospel must be at the center of our goals, aspirations, and dreams as well. D.A. Carson puts it this way:

“What are your aspirations? To make money? To get married? To travel? To see your grandchildren grow up? To find a new job? To retire early? None of these is inadmissible; none is to be despised. The question is whether these aspirations become so devouring that the Christian’s central aspiration is squeezed to the periphery or choked out of existence entirely.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

There are so many good and worthy things that we can aspire to in our lives. But we cannot aspire to those things at the cost of the advance of the gospel. So we may need to rearrange some aspirations so that the advance of the gospel is at the center. And we may need to sacrifice and give up other aspirations so that the advance of the gospel can be at the center. So what are you willing to sacrifice so that the gospel can advance, both where you live and to the ends of the earth?

1. What are your goals, aspirations, and dreams for your life? Finish this sentence: “In twenty years, I want to _____________________________.”

2. Do these goals, aspirations, and dreams have anything to do with the advance of the gospel? If not, why not?

3. Of these goals and aspirations, which ones need to be rearranged so that the advance of the gospel is central? Which ones need to be sacrificed?

4. What are you willing to sacrifice for the advance of the gospel? And how can you participate in the advance of the gospel?

Discipleship Week 4: A Gospel-Centered Prayer Life

Philippians 1:9-11

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Often our prayer life focuses around the circumstances of our lives: Health concerns, financial worries, relationship struggles, and more. And the bible tells us to pray for these things and ask for what we need (Matthew 7:7-11). We can and should pray for these things! But if these circumstances are at the center of our prayer life, than our prayer life will inevitably become self-centered, simply a checklist of personal needs that we go through and not much else.

But Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is explicitly gospel-centered, and the priorities of the gospel are clear in his prayer: 1) For their love to abound (both for God and for each other…you can’t have love for one without love for the other!), with 2) knowledge and discernment (love is not a fluffy, sentimental thing; to love God and others we have to truly know God and others, and have that love encompass our entire being), so that 3) they continue grow in spiritual maturity and towards perfection, for the glory of God (the gospel should constantly be transforming us, and we should never be satisfied with a spiritual plateau or spiritual mediocrity in our lives).

So our goal should be to have a gospel centered prayer life, and pray these gospel priorities for ourselves and for each other: 1) Grow in love for God and for each other, 2) have that love encompass our entire being (heart, soul, mind, strength), and 3) allow the gospel to continually transform us and not to settle for spiritual mediocrity.

1. How do you pray? Are your prayers more self-centered or more gospel-centered? How can your prayer life become more gospel-centered?

2. What are some practical ways you can grow in love, either for God, for others, or both?

3. What are some ways that your love is inconsistent (i.e. you say you love God but have hatred towards someone, you say you love God but show no obedience to his commands, etc…)? How does this inconsistency impact you sharing your faith with others?

4. What are ways you are on a spiritual plateau and not allowing the gospel to transform you?

Discipleship Week 3: Gospel-Centered Fellowship

Philippians 1:3-8

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:3-6)

Paul is thankful for the Philippians Christians, particularly for 1) their partnership in the gospel and 2) God’s continuing work in their lives. The word for partnership is the same word that is used to describe fellowship throughout the bible (koinoneia)…indicating that fellowship goes far deeper than the coffee hour at church on Sundays, or believers getting together to eat food, although that is certainly part of biblical fellowship! Christian fellowship is a far greater investment than most of us think about! Therefore, true fellowship between Christians must at its core be centered around a deep self-sacrificial commitment to the gospel and partnership in the gospel. And true fellowship between Christians must show a deep interest in each others’ spiritual health and continued spiritual growth.

1. When you are with other Christians, what do you focus on? What do you talk about? What are ways you can have a deeper level of fellowship with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?

2. What are reasons that you shy away from a deeper fellowship with other believers?

3. D.A. Carson offers several practical ways we can have our fellowship be centered around the gospel, the good news that in Jesus Christ God has reconciled us to himself… “This means that in our conversations we ought regularly to be sharing in the gospel; that is, delighting in God, sharing with each other what we have been learning from his Word, joining in prayer for the advance of the gospel (not least in the lives of those to whom we have been bearing witness), encouraging one another in obedience and maturing discipleship, bearing one another’s burdens, and growing in self-sacrificial love for one another for Christ’s sake.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Which of these areas is already a part of your fellowship with other believers? Which areas do you need to grow in? How do your relationships with believers need to change so that these things are at the center of your relationships?

Discipleship Week 2: Put the Gospel First

Philippians 1:1-26

“I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please. Not too much— just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self- denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad- minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races— especially if they smell. I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged. I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Paul references the gospel throughout this first section of his letter to the Philippians. It is clear that the gospel, the work of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins in our place in order to reconcile us to God, must be at the center of our lives. The gospel should radically transform us and shape every part of our being. But so often, as D.A. Carson notes above, we don’t want a gospel that radically transforms and messes up our lives, but want a watered down, domesticated version of the gospel that looks nice and feels nice, but that brings very little change in our lives. So the challenge in this first part of this book is to put the gospel first in our lives.

1. Why do so many Christians want a domesticated gospel?

2. How does our culture encourage us to have a domesticated gospel?

3. In what ways do you want to have only “three dollars worth of gospel?”

4. If the gospel was truly first in your life, how would your life look different from how it is right now? What needs to change so that the gospel truly is first in your life?

Discipleship Week 1: Living for the Glory of God

Philippians 4:20

“To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

It is critical that we begin this study of Philippians by studying God’s glory, because it should be our top priority in life. The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with this simple question: “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer: “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Our main purpose in life is to glorify God. Therefore everything that we think, say, and do should be for God’s glory. In Isaiah 26:8 the prophet cries out to God: “Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

God’s glory should be at the center of this book on living the Christian life because if it is not, then when we do live out the challenges and teachings of this book, then we give glory to ourselves and not to God. When these teachings are seen as a goal themselves, and not a means to a goal, namely, to glorify God, then this book becomes a checklist of spiritual accomplishments to feel good about and not a way to lovingly pour ourselves out to God. Living for God’s glory is the difference between this book radically transforming our lives for God and having this book become a burdensome spiritual chore list.

1. What are ways that you are living for God’s glory? And what are ways that you are viewing the Christian life more like a checklist? What difference do you notice when you are living for God than when you are living for yourself and the checklist?

2. How can good things, like ministry, service, bible study, worship, and more become bad things?

3. What are areas of your life where you have said, “No way God! Absolutely not!” Missions? Sexual purity? Time? Hobbies? Future? Career? Control? If you life was more oriented around God’s glory, how would your view of these things you have said no to God about change?

4. What is keeping you from living completely for God’s glory? And what do you need to do about that this year?

NCC Q13: No more charades!

New City Catechism Question 13

http://www.newcitycatechism.com/

Q: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?

A: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

Romans 3:10-12

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

The very simple answer to this catechism question is a resounding “No!” No one can keep the law of God perfectly, and as discussed in previous posts, this reveals out need for a savior and drives us desperately to that savior, Jesus Christ. The cross of Jesus Christ is the only beacon of hope for all of humanity who has failed miserably to keep God’s law.

But I have to admit that I struggle with this catechism answer. Not because I don’t believe it…trust me I believe this true to the core of my being! But I struggle with this because so often I see so many Christians (myself included) trying to act as if they are able to keep the law of God perfectly. As a pastor I know that I am called to be a role model and an example for the body of Christ. But it is so easy for that calling to slip into pressure (self-inflicted most of the time) to look and act perfect. It is easy to feel that we have failed in ministry and in life if anyone sees the slightest bit of our sinfulness. Certainly we don’t want to put our sin on display. We should strive for righteousness in every part of our lives. But we can’t let that goal lead us to put up a façade to the world that says we are perfect. Because we are not.

Now there could be any number of reasons why we are so prone to projecting this image of perfection when clearly we are not (both in light of the biblical witness and our own experience). It could be that too often as Christians we buy into the refrain we hear from our culture…the idea that we’re all generally good people. It could be that we fundamentally misunderstand the nature of our sin and our call to repentance; instead of seeing sin as a complete rejection of God and as pursuing a course that is the exact opposite from his will, we see our sin as a slight deviation from God’s will, and therefore our repentance is not a complete reversal of direction, but only a slight course correction. If that is our view then our sin isn’t really...well...that sinful. Or it could be that subconsciously we still insist on some form of works righteousness, even though we know that we are saved only by grace.

Whatever reason, it is critical that we stop playing Christian charades and tell the world that we have our act together. Doing so will cripple our evangelism. If the image we project to the world is that we are able to follow God’s law and that we are good people, then what need do we have for a savior? What need is there for the cross? And if having our act together, or at least looking like we have our act together is the qualification to come to church on Sundays, then the people who need to hear the good news the most will never come through the doors of our church.

The church is not, and cannot be a social club for people who pretend to follow God’s law perfectly and have their lives in order. The church is, and must be, a life saving station on the shore of a rocky, treacherous beach, ready to take in all who need to be saved. No one can follow God’s law perfectly, and the beginning of us being able to present the good news to people who are lost is the clear message that all of us have broken God’s law and universally stand in need of a savior. No one is righteous, no, not one! All of us stand guilty before a holy God in desperate need of a savior. But Jesus Christ has kept the law perfectly, he died in our place, so that we can stand before God clothed in his righteousness. And for a desperate sinner, that truly is good news.

NCC Q9-12: Summary Reflections on the Ten Commandments

New City Catechism Questions 9-12

http://www.newcitycatechism.com/

Summary Reflections on the Ten Commandments

Questions 9 through 12 in the catechism material go into a deeper study of the Ten Commandments, taking two or three commandments at a time. As we studied these commandments in our Sunday morning class at Clairemont Emmanuel, it seemed that there were several themes that came up often throughout these four weeks of study. So rather than go into depth on each of the Ten Commandments, it seems that it would be more beneficial to offer some summary reflections on two of these repeating themes and topics of discussion.

Heart attitudes: The study of the Ten Commandments inevitably draws you (and the catechism material explicitly draws you) to Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. There Jesus takes well known aspects of the Ten Commandments and reveals to us that even when our heart condition behind each commandment is not right, we are breaking the commandments, even if we keep them externally. For example, even if we have not committed adultery against our spouse, when we look at another woman with lust we have broken the seventh commandment. Or even if we have not murdered someone, when we have anger or hatred in our hearts towards another we have broken the sixth commandment. So any application of the Ten Commandments must begin and end with an examination of our hearts. This of course makes the Ten Commandments infinitely more applicable (most of us have not murdered but have certainly hated!), but also much more difficult, because we cannot simply go through an external checklist of behaviors to make sure we are living in accordance with God’s law. God’s law shines a penetrating light deep into our hearts, past the walls and façades that we set up to make us look better and holier that we actually are, and reveals our true heart condition. And often that heart condition is not pretty. So rather than be like the rich young man who comes to Jesus looking to justify himself by the law, we need to allow God’s law to reveal our heart condition, come to God in faith and repentance, receive forgiveness, and begin to let the Holy Spirit do a healing work in our hearts. Then we will begin to see real transformation, and our hearts will begin to reflect true holiness that we often can only pretend that we have.

The difficulty of the positive side: The catechism material notes Martin Luther’s teachings on the Ten Commandments, that whenever there is a negative prohibition in the Ten Commandments there is a positive implication assumed in that prohibition. In other words, we cannot simply not murder, or not hate, we must also lavishly love in order to keep the sixth commandment. We cannot simply not steal, we must also be radically generous in order to keep the eighth  commandment. And this makes sense. The Great Commandment given by Christ is widely recognized to be a summary of the Ten Commandments and all of God’s law, and it is thoroughly positive: Love God, love others. Therefore Luther is right to point out that we must look at the positive side of the Ten Commandments as well. So obeying the Ten Commandments is not simply the avoidance of negative behaviors and heart attitudes, it is the incorporation of positive behaviors into our everyday lives. And when we look at these positive implications, we realize that we have significant areas where we still need to grow. We might not be murders, but we have a long way to go to have a deep lavish love for others in our hearts and deeds. So like the heart attitudes, the positive implications of these commands make the Ten Commandments both more applicable and also infinitely more difficult to follow.

Therefore the Ten Commandments set an incredibly high standard for us to follow as Christians. As the catechism material states we are obligated to keep these commandments. The Ten Commandments are not an optional part of the Christian life. But recognizing this high standard also forces us to recognize our own sinfulness and brokenness and failures with regard to these commandments. So we have a choice. We can continue to play our game of Christian charades, putting up the façade and pretending like we are good people and following the Ten Commandments perfectly. Or we can acknowledge our own brokenness, confess our sin, and turn completely to Christ who died for that sin. Acknowledging the reality of sin in our lives as we look at the Ten Commandments is not pleasant or enjoyable. I can definitely say that I would much rather look at the Ten Commandments and get a big “Well done!” from God than acknowledge my own sinfulness. But to try and justify ourselves through the Ten Commandments then makes us miss the true purpose of the Ten Commandments: They do serve as a critical primer for Christian life and ethics, but they first and foremost reveal our sin, depravity, our desperate need for a savior, and they drive us desperately to that savior. So let us look at the Ten Commandments, and then run to the cross of Jesus Christ. Only then can true obedience begin.

NCC Q8: The awesome gift of the Ten Commandments

New City Catechism Question 8

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Q: What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments?

A: You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below—you shall not bow down to them or worship them. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not covet.

Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

As John Yates shares in the catechism material, the Ten Commandments truly are a love gift from God. They truly are a treasure, and as such Christians should commit them to memory, reflect on them, and seek the follow them each and every day. And the reason they are such a treasure is that they are so foundational and critical to every aspect of the Christian life. The Ten Commandments teach us how to relate to God and how to relate to others, and therefore they are the perfect commentary on the Great Commandment: Love God and love others. Therefore the Ten Commandments serve as the basis for Christian ethics; we are given the roadmap for how to live and navigate the Christian life, and to know what is right and what is wrong.

But the Ten Commandments go deeper than a simple primer in Christian ethics; they also point us to the heart of the Christian faith. No one has perfectly kept the commandments as we are required to do so (See New City Catechism Question 7). And even if we claim that we have followed the Ten Commandments perfectly (which is impossible, see Question 13), Jesus shows us in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that our heart breaks these commandments on a regular basis even if we are keeping them externally. We have all broken God’s law, and we cannot stand before God on our own. The Ten Commandments therefore remind us of our desperate need for someone who has kept God’s law perfectly, who can stand in our place…and point us to the one who has done just that: Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.

So the Ten Commandments are indeed a treasure, and every Christian should know them, memorize them, and obey them. Doing so will only lead to a deeper and more fruitful relationship with our loving creator God. But in addition to the rich spiritual benefits of obedience, the Ten Commandments also provide us with an incredibly practical tool for making life decisions, both big and small. For example if we are faced with a situation where one decision would lead us to lie and be deceitful and the opposite decision would allow us to be completely truthful, then it becomes readily clear which decision is right in God’s eyes. And even if there are seemingly compelling reasons to lie, God does not give us exceptions in Scripture where it would be permissible to break the ninth commandment. So the Ten Commandments help us in our decision making.

The Ten Commandments also help us cut through competing motivations and desires surrounding any given decision and help us to see with clarity a situation that may at first seem murky and clouded. For example when we face a major life decision such as a career change, we may think that our true motivation is to want to provide more for our family, and we move forward in that decision even if there are major roadblocks in the way. But reflecting on the commandments may reveal our true heart motivation is actually covetousness (wanting what someone else has), or perhaps an idolatry of money (placing a desire for wealth above God).  So the Ten Commandments not only help us make God honoring decisions more easily, they also help us see our true heart motives so that we can make God honoring decisions with clarity and confidence.

The Ten Commandments truly are a gift from God and a treasure that every one of us should store away in our hearts. Do we truly see the Ten Commandments in this way? Do we see them as life giving truths to be written on our hearts that will strengthen our relationship with God and others? Or do we see them as bothersome legalistic reminders written on old stone tablets to be dragged out and consulted every few years? My prayer is that these commandments would be seared on each of our hearts, and that they would radically transform every aspect of our lives. 

NCC Q7: Loving "that" neighbor

New City Catechism Question 7

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Q: What does the law of God require?

A: Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.

Matthew 22:37-40

“And Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all of the Law and the Prophets.’”

This passage, what we often call the Great Commandment, is actually two commandments: Love God, love neighbor. But the second is as John Wesley puts it, “inseparably connected with the first.” You cannot love God without loving your neighbor. And this Great Commandment truly does summarize the entire law of God: Love God, love neighbor. As New City Catechism moves into studying the Ten Commandments in the material ahead it is easy to see that the Ten Commandments are simply an expanded commentary on this Great Commandment that Jesus gives us: Love God, love neighbor. This truly is the foundation of God’s entire law.

Now clearly we cannot be saved through the obedience to the law, we are saved by grace through the cross of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). But the cross of Jesus Christ does not do away with the law; rather the cross ushers us into a relationship with God where we can follow and obey his law. So our goal as followers of Christ should be to perfectly obey this law: Love God, love neighbor. And this side of heaven we will always have opportunity to grow in this, because we clearly aren’t perfect yet! We can always grow in our love and devotion for God, to grow in surrendering more and more of our lives to him, and to give God access to the dark closets of our hearts and mind and let the Holy Spirit do his powerful, cleansing, and purifying work. 

We can also grow in loving our neighbor. But this seems to be where we start to add exemptions to this law. Just as the lawyer in Luke 10:29 tries to get a neighbor “exemption” from Jesus, we also try to qualify who our neighbor is by restricting our neighbors to those people who we like, who we get along with, who agree with us, and who love us in return. But Jesus gives us no such exemptions! The parable of the Good Samaritan that follows the lawyer’s inquiry teaches us that 1) we need to love others even when it is inconvenient, and 2) our neighbor is everyone, even people that we despise. Wesley eloquently puts it this way in the catechism material:

“Your neighbor—not only your friends, kinfolk, or acquaintances; not only the virtuous ones who regard you, who extend or return your kindness, but every person, not excluding those you have never seen or know by name; not excluding those you know to be evil and unthankful, those who despitefully use you. Even those you shall love as yourself with the same invariable thirst after their happiness. Use the same unwearied care to screen them from whatever might grieve or hurt either their soul or body. This is love.” (italics added)

There can be no qualifications or exemptions when it comes to God’s law. We must love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and not just part. And we must love our neighbor as ourselves and not restrict who our neighbor is. And if our neighbor seems too difficult to love, then let us simply reflect on Jesus, who died for us: miserable, wretched, unlovable sinners. We are that neighbor who is difficult to love and doesn’t deserve love! But despite that, Jesus loves us with a self-giving, self-sacrificial, self-emptying love. And he calls us to love in the same way (1 John 4:10-11).

NCC Q6: Glorify God...like a restaurant?

New City Catechism Question 6

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Q: How can we glorify God?

A: We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law.

Deuteronomy 11:1

“You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”

The catechism answer and passage from Deuteronomy is pretty straightforward. We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and most importantly by obeying him. If we want to glorify God we shouldn’t just listen to him, we should obey him. Or as it says in James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Obedience is a critical way we can glorify God on a daily basis. Often the first step towards a life that glorifies God is simple obedience. If God says something in the bible, then do it.

But glorifying God can still be difficult, even if we are obeying, and I think it is because our hearts and minds are not in it. Now often the heart and mind can follow an action, so obeying God even if we are not “feeling it” can lead to our hearts and minds coming around and falling in step with our acts of obedience.

But glorifying God may require us to also reassess what else in our lives we glorify over and above God. As Joshua Harris points out in the catechism material, the problem isn’t that we don’t know how to glorify God. Harris makes this excellent point: “The fact is that we all know how to glorify something or someone…because we do it all the time.” He goes on to show how we talk passionately and endlessly to others about our favorite restaurant, new phone, and significant other. I recently found this to be true in my own life when my wife and I had a friend from out of town stay with us for a few days. She and another friend were planning on going to a local restaurant that I had been to and really enjoyed, and so I eagerly showed her the menu online (the pictures on the online menu alone were mouthwatering!), told her about my favorite item on the menu, and told her what was unique about that restaurant. I glorified that restaurant without even trying. And we all do that on a regular basis. So we already glorify people and things in our lives, and often we devote more energy to glorifying those things instead of to glorifying God.

So then the question becomes, do we feel and talk the same way about God? And if not, why not? Why is it so easy for us to talk on and on about our favorite smart phone and yet not talk that way about God? It may be that we have too many other things in our lives that we already put so much energy into glorifying (restaurants, phones, careers, spouses, kids, cars, sports…the list could go on and on!), and we need to redirect that energy away from those things and focus it on glorifying God. But it may also be that we need to spend more personal time reflecting on who God is, how great he is, and the wonderful things that God has done for us. God has saved us from our sin through sending Jesus to die for us, and he also continues to provide for us on a daily basis. And the more we remember who God is and what God has done for us, the more we will glorify God, through our obedience to him and by proclaiming him to others. 

NCC Q5: A Personal Response to God's Creation

New City Catechism Question 5

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Q: What else did God create?

A: God created all things by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

Genesis 1:31

“And God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
                             

This is a very simple, yet mind blowing truth. God created everything. We often water down this discussion of what God made with the tangential discussion of how God made it. Was it in seven literal 24 hour days? Are the days in Genesis 1 referring to ages that account for the seemingly old age of the earth? The list of questions goes on and on. Now while it is not necessarily a bad thing to reflect on how God made everything, it can distract us away from the more foundational (and certain) truth… God made everything. And everything he made was good. What Genesis 1 draws us to is not a scientific debate but to a powerful statement of God’s power and might and rule… God made everything and it was very good. God made each and every galaxy that exists, and he made each and every one of the hundreds of millions of stars in every single one of those galaxies. And he made each and every thing in those galaxies, down to the smallest atom and particle. And in the New Testament we see more specifically that all things are made by, through, and for Christ, God the Son (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-17). All things are created through the cosmic Christ. Kent Hughes explains it well in the catechism material when he says that if he commandeered the starship Enterprise from Star Trek and travelled at warp speed past galaxy after countless galaxy, and ended up in some remote corner of the universe, even the smallest piece of stellar dust would be created by Christ and sustained by Christ.

And such a powerful truth should evoke a powerful response from those who love God. And yet this is where so many Christians stand underwhelmed looking at creation and the work of the cosmic Christ. Maybe we simply don’t think enough about the awesomeness of God’s creation, or maybe we just don’t allow enough time for such a powerful work of God to shape our minds and our hearts. But if we do allow ourselves some reflection on the cosmic Christ, at least two responses become very clear.

First, the cosmic Christ leads us into deeper worship. When we are overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of all of God’s creation, then worship will naturally follow. Focusing on the vastness of God’s creation while at the same time reflecting on the intricate details of that creation takes us away from ourselves and the daily stresses we face and prepares our hearts to truly cry out “How Great is Our God!” It is not surprising then, that Kent Hughes in the catechism material notes that he often begins his time of daily devotion and prayer by reflecting on the universe and God’s creation. The glorious work of the cosmic Christ truly does lead to deeper and more heartfelt, genuine worship.

Second, the cosmic Christ challenges us to let go of our anxieties. Christ has created and continually sustains very part of our vast universe. Everything is sustained by his loving care. And when we compare that to the situations in our lives that cause us anxiety, they are relatively miniscule. This is not to say that these situations are trivial; certainly many of the situations that cause us anxiety are very real situations with very serious problems. But the cosmic Christ reminds us that those problems that seem so big and terrifying to us are not a problem for him! Our difficulties and struggles are not a problem for the one who creates and sustains even the smallest piece of stellar dust light years away! So when Jesus exhorts us not to worry about our lives, about what we will eat, or drink, or wear, this is not some a motivational pep talk (Matthew 6:25ff). This is not about us simply being positive in the face of tough circumstances. This is the creator God who loves us and died for us telling us that whatever uncertainty we face, he has it taken care of and we don’t need to worry about it!

Certainly there are further responses we can have to the cosmic Christ, all of which are worth times of deep reflection. We can reflect on the divine power and authority that Christ has in all things and over all things. And we can reflect on how there is order and purpose in creation, and not randomness. But if we can just begin by allowing the cosmic Christ to lead us into deeper worship where the focus is off ourselves and on our great creator God, and then respond by casting our anxieties on him, our lives will be radically transformed. Will you do it? 

NCC Q4: Human beings and the Image of God

New City Catechism Question 4

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Q: How and why did God create us?

A: God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

Genesis 1:27

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”

What an awesome truth that we as human beings are made in the image of God! The more we understand that we are made in God’s image; that we are made to reflect something of God, the more we will be motivated to live fully for God and for his glory. The catechism material will further explore how we can glorify God in the weeks to come, and rightly so.

However before we can dive into a discussion of how we can glorify God, it is well worth reflecting on the significance of the truth that we are made in the image of God. God made us to image himself! What a staggering concept! And while the image of God has certainly been marred in sinful humanity, there is nothing in the bible to indicate that the image of God is gone in human beings, or that some people have more of the image of God than others. Therefore we can safely say all human beings are made in the image of God, which means that we should view every single human life as sacred. And with that comes several powerful implications:

First, the sacredness of human life should shape our understanding of current events and issues. That human beings are sacred should shape how we view what is going on in our world today, from war to poverty to global pandemics such as AIDS. It should also shape how we think about hot button issues of our day, such as abortion, euthanasia, and modern technologies such as stem cell research and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Often Christians support or oppose such events and issues because of what a few public Christian voices argue for, or because it just “feels” right or wrong. But the sacredness of human life coming from being made in the image of God gives us the ability to think critically and to make a real contribution to public discourse surrounding these events and issues. It allows us to state why we believe what we believe, not just what we believe.

Second, the sacredness of human life means that we should NEVER dehumanize another human being. Sadly, so much of the public debates in our world today are dehumanizing debates…instead of actually discussing an issue on its merits, pundits attack each other and try to portray their opponents as evil or idiotic for holding a different view (and yes this happens on both sides of the political spectrum!). And what is even sadder is that Christians are often guilty of engaging in the same dehumanizing behavior. For example, while we rightly advocate for the rights of an unborn child we can easily dehumanize the woman who is considering an abortion or who has had an abortion. While rightly arguing for a deep commitment to Christ and obedience to the Scriptures it is easy to dehumanize individuals and denominations that have moved away from such commitments. While we rightly grieve some of the directions our culture is heading in, we also attack that same culture as evil and hopeless instead of trying to transform that culture through being salt and light for Jesus Christ in the world. And while we rightly take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, it is easy to judge and stereotype and dehumanize people of other religious faiths, the very people we are trying to reach.

Finally, the sacredness of human life means that we should have a healthy view of ourselves. Certainly we cannot become arrogant or self-centered. But being made in the image of God means that we are incredibly valuable to God! In such a competition driven culture, our self worth often comes not from the God who made us in his image but from comparing ourselves to others or looking to others for affirmation, which usually leads to us feeling inferior and in turn drives so much of the depression, anxiety, and stress that we experience. But being made in God’s image means we can be confident in who God made us to be, and strive to live more for God and not to please others or to get their approval.

Every human being is made in the image of God. Every human life is sacred. How does that challenge how you view the people, events, and issues in your life and in the world today? If we are to truly glorify God then we must uphold this awesome truth and let it daily impact how we view ourselves, others, and the world around us.

NCC Q3: Triune Community

New City Catechism Question 3

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Q: How many persons are there in God?

A: There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

2 Corinthians 13:14

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Pastor Kevin DeYoung rightly points out that the Doctrine of the Trinity is “the most important Christian doctrine that most people never think about.” And those who do think about the triune nature of God can get confused very quickly. How is it that there is one true God, that is three persons, where each person is fully God, and each person is not the other person (in other words there is no Clark Kent to Superman transformation in some divine phone booth!)? And yet even if we cannot wrap our mind around the Trinity, the bible clearly affirms every part of this doctrine, from the oneness of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), to the three persons of God (2 Corinthians 13:14, Matthew 3:16-17) to the divinity of all three persons (John 1:1-2, 8:58, Acts 5:3-4). And each part of this truth is critical to the Christian faith. For example, if Jesus Christ is not fully God, how can the atonement have any power to save us from our sin? And so even if we cannot fully wrap our finite minds around the triune nature of God, we must clearly affirm what the bible clearly teaches, that there are three persons in the one true and living God.

But even when we accept that God is a triune God and accept that this truth is critical to our Christian faith, there is still the problem of applicability. What practical meaning does the Trinity have for us in our day to day lives? DeYoung does a great job in the catechism material outlining three areas where the Trinity practically applies to our lives. 1) We can have unity within diversity, we don’t have to settle or push for one at the expense of the other. 2) The Trinity teaches us about the role and importance of community. And 3) we learn about what DeYoung calls the eternality of love; that love is not some construct created by human beings, but it has always existed in the perfect community of the triune God.

Each of these areas of application is worth further study and reflection. However given the increasingly individualistic understandings of spirituality in our culture today (both Christian and non-Christian), the area of application that possibly requires the most immediate attention is the nature of community found in the Trinity. God has always eternally existed in community, and God’s creation reflects that community. Human beings were made to be in community, not in isolation (Genesis 2:18-25). In the Old Testament God calls a people (not individuals) to himself as his chosen covenant community (Genesis 12:1-3). The early church existed as a tight knit community of faith (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-37). And the Scriptures refer to the Church as the body of Christ, a community that is intertwined and interdependent on each other for health and survival (Ephesians 4:1-16).

Therefore the Trinity teaches us that community is foundational and critical for every aspect of the Christian life. The take home message then is this: You cannot be a lone-ranger Christian. You cannot experience any significant spiritual growth as a Christian outside of Christian community. You cannot effectively develop and use the gifts that God has given you outside of Christian community. You cannot be an effective witness for Christ if you are cut off from Christ’s body. I will go so as to suggest that you cannot even survive spiritually outside of Christian community, because without the community of faith supporting you and speaking truth into your life, you will be carried off to wherever the waves of our culture are heading. To be a healthy Christian means to be in community.

So what is keeping us from experiencing this kind of community and growing in this kind of community?  Some will shy away from being invested in community because of problems they see in their local church. Ironically, sinless perfection in churches then becomes the standard by which sinful imperfect people invest in community. But there are no perfect churches because every church is full of sinners! Others will shy away from community because of sin in their lives, either because they are afraid it will get exposed or because they know it will get exposed and they don’t want to let go of that sinful part of their lives. But the reality of sin in each of our lives means we actually need community more, not less! And others will shy away from community because investment requires time, and time is too precious of a commodity to spend in our already very busy over scheduled lives. And the list of reasons goes on…

But none of these reasons even come close to justifying us giving up on the community that we were created to be in, that flows out of the community of the triune God. And since an intimate, loving, community is at the heart of the triune God, then our hearts should be set to invest ourselves and dive deeper into our local church community, and not to move away from it. Are there difficulties about growing in community? Absolutely! But those difficulties pale in comparison to the rich blessings we receive from growing in community. And ultimately, growing in community prepares us for the perfect community we will one day experience, when we are finally home with our Heavenly Father.

NCC Q2: Our Amazing God

New City Catechism Question 2

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Q: What is God?

A: God is creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. He is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power and perfection, goodness and glory, wisdom, justice, and truth. Nothing happens except through him and by his will.

Psalm 86:8-10, 15

“There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God… You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

This is one of the more frustrating questions in New City Catechism for me…not because of the content in the answer, but because of the amount of content. There is so much here, trying to take it all in is like participating in a food challenge that various restaurants have, where if you eat an insane amount of food in a certain period of time you get a t-shirt and get on their wall of fame. There is just so much to take in it is impossible to do in one sitting! In this statement, we see God as a creator God. We see who God is, evidenced in his attributes. We see that all of those attributes must be held together; we cannot pick and choose what parts of God we like and don’t like (when we engage in such picking and choosing we actually cease to talk about the God of the Bible!). And we see what God does in how he sustains all things and governs all things according to his will. So within this one question and answer there is a lifetime of truth that we can reflect on and feed our souls with.

But while we may not be able to take it all in at once, we can go a little deeper with part of this awesome truth. So here I want to look at the first and last parts of this answer: that God is the sustainer of everyone and everything, and that nothing happens except through God and by his will. These are bold statements, and really are only possible because of who God is. It is only an eternal, infinite, perfect, powerful, good, glorious, wise, just, and true God who can sustain and govern everyone and everything. And these bold statements form the foundation of what is known as the Doctrine of Providence: God sustains and governs all things. And all things means…all things. It is because of Providence that we can be confident that the laws of physics will remain the same tomorrow as they are today. It is because of Providence that we can be confident that regardless of what happens to us, that our lives are sustained by our creator God. It is because of Providence that we can be confident that when we face struggles and situations that seem to have no solution, God is working in that situation and he works all things together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28). God sustains and governs all things, which is one of the most comforting and practical truths for Christians in our world today.

Now whenever God’s Providence is affirmed as it is here in Question 2, there is invariably some pushback in the form of this question: But what about _________________? What about this evil we see in the world today? What about this pain and suffering I’m going through? What about this senseless killing? What about this tragedy in my life? Because of the brokenness of this world that is marred by sin, we will see these things, and yes, God in his wisdom does allow this evil, even though he does not cause it. Evil, pain, and suffering do fall under God’s Providence. And philosophers and theologians have offered excellent responses to this problem of evil as it pertains to God’s Providence and can be explored more in deeper study. But in this space, let me offer a few brief pastoral responses to these questions that get raised:

When we see or experience pain and suffering, it is far better to have a God who is in control than a God who is not. The alternative to a God who sustains and governs all things is a world of chaos and despair, where evil wins the day and there is no hope. While we may not understand why something happens, affirming God’s Providence in light of the pain and suffering we see and experience means that we take hope in the fact that evil does not have the final word. Evil is not greater than God! God is in control, and a day is coming where there will be no more pain and no more suffering (Revelation 21:1-4). What a glorious hope! We may never get the answer to those “why?” questions, but we know and trust and believe in a God that does know why. And that is enough.

And so God’s Providence stands firm, and we can rest and take comfort in his Providence, even in the midst of pain and suffering. How will this awesome truth about God impact your lives this week? My prayer is that the following words of the Heidelberg Catechism would be the cry of our hearts now and for the rest of our lives:

“We can be patient when things go against us,
thankful when things go well,
and for the future we can have
good confidence in our faithful God and Father
that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.
For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand
that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.”[i]

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[i] Heidelberg Catechism, Question 28.

NCC Q1: The hope of not being our own

New City Catechism Question 1

http://www.newcitycatechism.com/

Q: What is our only hope in life and death?

A: That we are not our own, but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:7-8

“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

I love that New City Catechism begins here with this question. It is a question that assaults our fierce independence and reorients us to view ourselves in light of a God who made us, loves us, and has bought us with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is a question that challenges our fundamental presuppositions that we carry in this culture, mainly that we think we belong to ourselves and that we are masters of ourselves, our decisions, and our futures. And it is a question that truly does give us hope, when we realize that on our own we have no hope in life and in death, it is only through belonging to God through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins that we can have a glorious eternal life with our Heavenly Father. And because of that hope we should not live for ourselves and make plans and decisions that promote our self-interest and desires, but we should live fully and completely for God. Our hopes, dreams, goals, and decisions should always be centered around God and a desire to see him glorified.

Now it is not hard to affirm this truth that the bible states so clearly. We are not our own, but we belong to God. What is far more difficult is to actually live in light of this truth. For even though we may believe that we are not our own, that we were bought with a price, and that we belong to God, every single day we make countless decisions that are centered around ourselves and our own self-interest. And many may not even be aware that this is actually selfishness. We are ingrained in this culture to focus on what brings us pleasure and fulfillment. We are encouraged to do that which leads to our own self-improvement. And both religious and secular research has demonstrated that even institutions like marriage, that have historically been about serving others and the common good, are now viewed as vehicles for self-enhancement.[i] Therefore if we do not take time to think about our daily decisions, we will inevitably fall into the pattern of our culture and automatically make decisions that are centered around ourselves and our self-interest and pleasure.

How then can we start living in light of this glorious truth that we are not our own but that we belong to God? How can we go through our day so that our minute by minute decisions are geared towards God and his glory, not our own? While there are many suggestions that can help us in this, let me suggest that one key to living for God and not for ourselves on a daily basis is an issue of thanksgiving. How thankful are we for what God has done for us? How often do we reflect on the depth and depravity of our own sin, and how hopelessly lost we were being separated from God? How often do we reflect on the lavish grace of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross? How often do we reflect on how costly God’s love for us is in that he sent his one and only son to die for our sin? Familiarity with Jesus dying on the cross for our sin can sometimes lead us to gloss over the severity and costliness of God’s love for us, and to take the radical self-sacrifice of God for granted. But if we can recover some sense of how much God has given to save us and how much he has given because he loves us, then the thanksgiving that accompanies such reflections will begin to shape our thought processes and our decision making. The more we are thankful for what God has done for us, the more we will think about how we can respond to God out of that thanksgiving. And when we are overwhelmed with thanksgiving towards God, then it will be far easier to give ourselves and everything we are and have to a God who has given everything for us.

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[i] Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York: The Penguin Group, 2011), Chapters 1&2.