The Sanctified Call To Surrender

On Friday night, the Truth & Life Conference at The Master’s College ended with a positively epic sermon from Dr. David Platt. I discussed Dr. MacArthur’s opening session here a few days ago, and while all the other sessions and seminars were excellent and have given me an awful lot to chew on regarding sanctification, Dr. Platt’s closing session was probably the most impactful for me. He took us to Isaiah 6, where the prophet Isaiah sees a vision of the Lord and is completely undone, to talk about sanctified calling. From this passage, Dr. Platt gave us four prayers he has for us, which also came across as four challenges/encouragements for us.

First, he challenged us to have a high view of God. The greatness of the Lord of Creation cannot be fathomed; He is the King who is always on the throne even as earthly kings come and go, terrifyingly holy and completely perfect. We were reminded that the fact of God’s holiness does not merely mean He is without error- He is without equal. Dr. Platt reminded us that casual worship is not possible before this God, and that this is where sanctification begins- we become what we behold, as 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

Next, Dr. Platt reminded us to have a serious view of sin. Isaiah’s response to seeing the Lord was not “wow” but “woe!” The truth is, we have no idea just how deep and heinous even the smallest sin is before holy God. The littlest white lie, the smallest tidbit of gossip, the most fleeting lustful thought… just one of these sins is infinitely vile because in so doing, we offend the infinitely holy God. How can we be so complacent with sin when any trace of it is worthy of eternal punishment? Obviously, seeing as nobody is perfect, this is where we all find ourselves- undone and unfathomably guilty before the Lord, who cannot dwell with sin.

Of course, the story doesn’t end at sin- Dr. Platt followed up this point with a plea for us to have a glorious view of grace. If our sin is so unfathomably abhorrent to God, how can we ever be right with Him? Isaiah cried out in depravity, and God responded in mercy! The angel touched a burning coal to Isaiah’s mouth and told him his sin was taken away- he was forgiven! This, however, served as a mere picture of what would happen later. At this point, Dr. Platt took us to Isaiah 53, where we see an incredible prophecy of the suffering servant that was fulfilled in Christ’s suffering on the cross. Like the Old Testament scapegoat, Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. He paid the price not merely for sin, but for sinners– the punishment that each of us deserves. We have rebelled against God in countless ways, yet because of the cross He doesn’t count one single sin against us. This is what makes the love and grace of God so amazing- Christ bore our punishment on our behalf, making a right relationship with our Creator possible. This reminds me of those glorious hymn lyrics, “Guilty, vile, and helpless we / spotless lamb of God was He / full atonement, can it be? / Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Finally, Dr. Platt challenged us to have an urgent view of mission. Isaiah’s response to this unfathomable grace was total surrender- he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Here am I! Send me.” Dr. Platt moved to discussing the church’s current situation with gospel missions around the world, walking us through some statistics regarding people groups and how many there are on the planet- around 11,000 if I recall correctly- and he told us that there are still thousands of people groups that have yet to be exposed to the gospel. This means there are roughly 2 billion people alive today who may live and die without ever even hearing the gospel. In light of receiving such scandalously extravagant mercy and grace and seeing how much of the world is still without the gospel, how can we not be compelled to participate in God’s mission to whatever extent He may call us to? He does not call us to serve Him because He needs us, but because He loves us and He knows that doing His will is what will ultimately bring us the greatest joy in life.

Needless to say, we were all left with an awful lot to chew on after this conference. I was particularly challenged by Dr. Platt’s encouragement to us to present our lives to God as a “blank check” for Him to write whatever He wants on it. I have to admit I’m still working through that one in my own heart, and I’ll leave you with the same thought:

Do you have a high view of God, a serious view of sin, and a glorious view of grace that compel you to give yourself completely to God with no reservation?

2014
01/20
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The Sanctified Life of Peace and Sadness

Well, as of yesterday I’m back for another semester at The Master’s College! It’s never easy leaving home, but it feels good to be back, especially with our excellent annual Truth & Life Conference now well underway! Our president, Dr. John MacArthur, kicked the conference off last night, and there are a few thoughts from his session that I wanted to share. The theme of this conference is sanctification- the process by which Christ changes us and molds us, re-forming us into His image. This topic in particular has been on my heart for a while now, so I am especially thankful we get to spend a few days delving into the sanctified life.

Dr. MacArthur started off by taking us to Romans 7, where Paul expresses his struggles against the flesh. It’s a passage I’ve read and reread many times, and one I relate to very deeply. It’s the fight of every believer’s life, this ongoing battle against the sin that remains in us, even though we grow to increasingly hate it over time. The imagery in verse 24 is especially striking, and I didn’t realize it until Dr. MacArthur pointed it out last night:

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25a)

When Paul talks about this “body of death,” he conveys the image of having a corpse attached to his body. We all live in this in-between stage, where Christ is forming the new man in us while the old man, now like a dead corpse, clings to us and never just leaves us alone. It’s a burden we continue to bear, even though in an eternal sense our old self is dead and gone, and all God sees of us now is Christ’s perfection. Dr. MacArthur also used the image of Lazarus walking out of the grave. Jesus called him back to life, and out he walked, smelly graveclothes and all. The reality of our current condition is that we still wear some of our “graveclothes”- we’re fully alive, but the smell of death still lingers on us. Unlike Lazarus, though, our indwelling sin lurks beneath the surface, rising up from inside the dark corners of our own hearts (Matthew 15:18-20, James 1:14). We were all reminded that, “Nothing is more dangerous to you than your own heart.” Yikes, sometimes the truth really stings.

There was a lot more to take away from this session, but I especially resonated with one of the last statements Dr. MacArthur made. He said that as we progress in sanctification, there is an increase in Christlikeness, and with that an increase in peace, yet at the same time there is an increase in sadness as well. As we continue to grow in Christ, we get to see more and more just how dark our hearts are and how deep our sinfulness runs within our souls, and it is saddening indeed. Yet at the same time, we can marvel at the grace of God in our lives that progressively chips away at the old man and reveals the image of Christ, and take heart knowing that one day He will return and finish the job permanently.

Dr. MacArthur left us with a few helpful applications. We need to be confessing our sin to the Lord because the power to kill it is not within us, but in Him. We need to pray that the Lord would help us refuse to entertain sinful thoughts and avoid evil attractions- to deal with sin radically and constantly feed on the Word of God. Finally, he encouraged us to simply cultivate a love for Christ. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

The Lord has justified us in the past and He will resurrect and glorify us in the future- these are entirely His works, to which we make no contribution whatsoever. But sanctification is something we need to fight for. We still absolutely need His grace to empower us, but at the same time, we’re commanded to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12), and that’s a process that takes a lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears.

Needless to say, the conference has been excellent so far, and I have a lot to chew on. As the conference continues I may try and write more responses, or some kind of summary at the end of the conference. Either way, it’s been a huge encouragement so far; I highly recommend you tune in to the live stream tonight at 7:00 (PST) if you have a free evening!

2014
01/16
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Awesome Creator + Loving Father

In my general perception of God, I tend to think of Him as the Holy Lord of Creation, high and lifted up, seated on the throne, epic living creatures ceaselessly praising Him (Revelation 4), etc. Understanding God’s holiness and power, His other-ness, if you will, is absolutely necessary to having a proper view of God- that’s who He is! And yet in considering all of that, I think lately I’ve been all but unaware of the fact that while God is all of those things, He is also my Father- my Daddy.

I was talking with a new friend of mine recently and we were sharing about how the Lord saved us and what He’s done in our lives. Somehow it came up that she’s the daughter of a single mom because a few years ago, her dad left her family. What she said next amazed me- she said that since her father is absent in her home, she is able to more deeply understand who God is as her Father, and that she’s thankful for that. That sure sent my head and heart spinning.

I walked away from that conversation amazed at God’s grace that He would give her the perspective to see that. I also got to thinking about a few passages of Scripture that talk about God as our Father; here are a few to chew on:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:14-17)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name…” (Matthew 6:9)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Esphesians 1:3-6)

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says this in its definition of the word abba (from Romans 8): “‘Abba’ is the word framed by the lips of infants, and betokens unreasoning trust; ‘father’ expresses an intelligent apprehension of the relationship. The two together express the love and intelligent confidence of the child.” We need to understand who the Lord is as the holy and righteous King of Creation, far above and beyond comprehension and worthy of all glory and honor and praise, who upholds the universe and provides for all who live in it. And yet at the same time, we can’t forget that He is our Daddy. The idea that we can and should perceive our relationship with God in that light absolutely baffles me in the best way possible. I’ve been forgetting that way too much lately- I need to see myself not only as a creature before his infinitely awesome Creator, but also as a child in the presence of his unfathomably loving Father.

What a beautiful thing it is that the eternal Ruler of all things is our Father… our Daddy.

2014
01/13
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Sad Songs

I know this may sound strange, especially as a music-loving Christian, but something I’ve come to realize more and more as time goes on is that I love sad songs.

That’s not to say I don’t like songs that are upbeat, happy, rocking, or just plain fun. There are lots of people who do those kinds of songs very well and I enjoy them very much. Upbeat rejoicing in worshiping God is a particularly good thing to have in any believer’s musical pallet because it helps us express the joy we have in His salvation. And a well done rock song always hits the spot! Obviously, we can’t only sing sad songs.

But even the greatest moments of joy in this life are often tinged with unsatisfied longing. I think Solomon would agree, as he says in Proverbs 14:13, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.” As good as the Lord’s many blessings are in our lives, we can never escape the fact that things just aren’t how they’re supposed to be. In the good things that happen to us we get a mere glimpse of what this world was truly meant to be- and what the world to come will be like when every tear is wiped away forever. And when things go wrong, we’re especially reminded of how things are just not right in this world, and how it’s all because this is what we’ve allowed our sin to make it.

That said, I think sad songs are usually the most honest. There’s too much fake joy out there, especially in my own life. I like people to think I’m doing ok when the fact is I actually have my fair share of doubts and hopeless moments just like anyone else, and pretty much every day I deeply long for things to be the way they’re supposed to be. Why do we like to pretend, anyway? Do we like to think that if we pretend for long enough, all the pain will go away? Do we think people won’t accept us if we discuss our fears and struggles openly with each other?

A good sad song does just that. It tears down the walls of fake joy and says, “Hey, you’re not alone in this struggle, here’s how I’ve felt about it and how I’ve tried to come to grips with it.” A good sad song also sheds enough light and truth on the situation to say that there’s hope, that there’s a God who loves us who poured Himself out to death to redeem us from the cause of all this sadness (that being our sin). So even in the most crushing moments of pain, there is joy to be found in the hope of the Gospel.

For example, here’s a song by Eric Peters called “Reality Came Crashing Down.” It’s extremely melancholy and probably will sound depressing to most people, but it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve heard recently. There’s truth, disappointment, and hope, all wrapped in a melancholy and honest little package. The YouTube video below is just a clip of the song, I highly recommend you listen to the whole song on Spotify (or just buy his album Chrome, which is loaded with more similarly melancholy but hopeful tunes). The truth is, not all of our dreams will come to fruition, and when reality does come crashing down, we need to be humble enough to remember that our way is not always God’s way and still live a life of love despite the disappointment, remembering that love “came to us first” to gain for us what we could never earn on our own.

“Hallelujah” indeed!

I used to think that I could change the world
Write a song to make me rich and famous
Mine would be a name that you’d read all about
But then reality came crashing down

I used to think that I could save the world
Write a song that said nothing in particular
Pretend that I was worthy of the words beneath the words
But then reality came and kissed my chin
Reality came and settled right in

Dreams don’t mean all that much
If we can’t find ourselves
In the dust that shapes the ground
When reality comes crashing down

There are no lost souls, only hopeless ones
Love is a cause for constant celebration
It binds and affords what our wallets cannot purchase
Hallelujah, it came to us first

So, son, don’t waste your words tuned to a whim
Cast out your net and slowly drag it back in
Your catch may be small and your belly may burn
But live for the language that speaks few words
Live for the language of love

I used to think that I could save the world

2014
01/06
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For All 52 Mondays In 2014…

Hello friends and readers, all you kind folks who actually come around and visit this blog of mine. I just wanted to let you all know about one of my (very few, as it turns out) resolutions for the new year, and that is to post at least one blog a week! Hopefully this will actually last for the whole year, and I’m shooting for making Mondays blog days all year.

As I continue to live life and try to see it all from God’s perspective, I learn so much, especially as I come to spend increasingly more time immersed in God’s Word. As I learn these things, I like to write about them, and posting them to the blog is my way of continuing to chew on these things the Lord is teaching me and also to hopefully encourage and challenge someone else too. With that in mind, I think this will be a good resolution to shoot for in 2014, so for the next 52 Mondays, expect some kind of post here! As usual I will continue to share new blogs on Facebook, but if you’re into email updates you can always subscribe to those on the right sidebar as well. And if you like reading about movies (especially movie reviews), my friend Jake and I will be continuing to post on Tricky & the Cynic as well!

Thanks for reading! May 2014 be another year of becoming more like the Master as we live the lives He has called us to.

Soli Deo Gloria
Joe

2014
01/04
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