God Is Closer Than You Think #8 – What Does it Mean to Become a Christian?

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Gregg Caruso

Dr. Jeff Arthurs, Guest Speaker

1. Most of us are trying to save ourselves (“I think I can, I think I can”).

2. But we tend to overestimate our goodness and underestimate our badness. The Bible says that spiritually we are: lost, strangers, guilty, dead, and enemies.

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” –Titus 3:3

3. Therefore God, who is rich in mercy, sent Jesus to absorb our sins. Jesus is the “sin eater.”

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, ⁵He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” –Titus 3:4-7

4. Our responsibility is to “believe.”

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” –John 3:16

5. We do good deeds, not in order to EARN salvation, but because we ARE saved. We do not work FOR salvation, we work FROM it.

“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.” –Titus 3:8

1 John 5:6-13 (#13)

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Gregg Caruso

I. INTRO – Assurance of Eternal Life

Review:

Where we are as a church – and where we’re headed. We’ll start at 30,000 feet and then land in our 1 John passage for today.

As a church we are “rebooting” theologically. What does that mean?

First of all, it does NOT mean we are changing our doctrinal statement.

What it DOES mean is that we intend to be Christ-centered, or gospel-centered, in all our preaching and teaching.[1] There are two basic reasons for this:

Not only is the gospel of Jesus Christ necessary for our salvation, but the gospel is also essential for our growth (or sanctification) in Christ.[2]
(How does that happen?) A Christ-centered, or gospel-centered approach will focus more on what Christ has done, than on what we should do.

We believe that the Westminster Assembly got it right in 1646 with the Westminster Shorter Confession of Faith when they determined the “chief end of [humankind] is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Or, as John Piper has said, “to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.”

Where we’re headed (See the bulletin insert):

3 Summits scheduled 6-weeks apart to reaffirm values, mission, and vision in preparation for calling a permanent pastor.

The first one is Sat, Jan 14^th from 9am-1pm. A working lunch and childcare will be provided.

If you’re 13+, we’d like for you to be there. Sign-ups start today.

Sign-up sheet – or email Beth in the office.

**The more we accomplish in the next 6-7 months, the higher caliber pastor we will attract to SBF.

Next week in the bulletin we will provide you with a calendar of the significant events for Jan-Jun of 2012. This will include:

The 3 Summits
At least 3 Concerts of Prayer where we will gather as a congregation – both to learn more about prayer and to pray. These will also include extended times of worship.
And regular Sunday morning updates to keep everyone informed on what is happening (twice a month).

In Sept we embarked on a study of 1 John. Today marks our 13^th week.

Why study 1^st John? As we have been saying – the gospel of John was written that we might believe while 1 John we written that we might know.

Assurance is the key theme of 1 John. There are two parts to this assurance:

1. The first is an objective assurance that Jesus (and Christianity) are true. Jesus claimed to be God.

Jn 14:9 – Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
Jn 10:33 – We’re stoning you “for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Mark 14:61b-62 [61b] – “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ [62] ‘I am,’ said Jesus.”
Luke 22:66-70 [66] – “At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them…[70] They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’ He replied, ‘You are right in saying I am.’”
In 1 John 1:1 he reminds his readers that he was an eye-witness of Jesus – he beheld Him with his eyes and touched Him with his hands and refers to Jesus as “the Word of Life.”
Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or He was telling the truth (trillema). John is asserting in this letter that Jesus and Christianity are true (objective assurance).

2. The second aspect of assurance John is speaking to is the subjective assurance of our own standing in Christ.

To use John’s language of what it means to be a Christian…

To have been born of God
To know God
To live in God
To enjoy an intimate personal communion with Him – which John says, is eternal life.

On Thur we sent out an eNEWS that quoted 19^th century British theologian and pastor J.C. Ryle, who said:

Another way to describe assurance is assured hope.

A person may have saving faith in Christ, and yet never enjoy an assured hope.
To believe and have a glimmering hope of acceptance is one thing, to have delight and joy and peace in our believing — and to abound in hope, is quite another!
S/He that has faith does well. But s/he that has assurance does far better — sees more, feels more, knows more, enjoys more.[3]

Last week (Gene) taught from 1 Jn 4:17-5:5 and made three excellent points:

(vs. 4:17-18) Being perfected in love is a process.
(vs. 4:19-21) People are in your life for a purpose (i.e., conflict can be redemptive).
(vs. 5:1-5) Passion for God’s presence prepares the heart to obey.

Today we will look at the most difficult passage in 1 John – 5:6-13…

II. BODY

John draws some very clear lines in this passage (as he has throughout the letter): v.12 – “S/He who has the Son has the life; s/he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” John is saying that it is infinitely important for us to know if we have the Son. (We would do well to remember Ryle’s point: A person may have saving faith in Christ, and yet never enjoy assurance.)

Then in v.13 John writes, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” (2-fold assurance)

There are two words I’d like to look at more closely today from v.13, asking the questions, 1) What does it mean to believe? And 2) What does it mean to know?

1. What does it mean to believe?

The Greek word is the verb pisteuō (from the same root as the word for faith) and occurs about 250 times in the NT. Matthew uses the word 10 times, Mark 10, Luke 9, John’s Gospel 99 times – and 9 times in 1 John.
Now I have both bad news and good news for you…

The bad news is that not all belief is saving belief.
Look with me at John 2:23-25: Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, ²⁵ and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
There is evidently a belief that does not save us.
James 2:19 – …the demons also believe…
Paul exhorts the church in Corinth to, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor 13:5).
This is the kind of examination that John is referring to in 1 John 5:12-13.

In 1859 a French tightrope walker named Charles Blondin, became the first person to cross 160 feet above Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He walked several times – back and forth. The large crowd gathered and a buzz of excitement ran along both sides of the riverbank. The crowd “Oooohed!” and “Aaaaahed!” as Blondin carefully walked across one dangerous step after another. One trip across he was blindfolded and pushing a wheel-barrow. Upon reaching the other side, it’s said that the crowd’s applause was louder than the roar of the falls! Blondin suddenly stopped and addressed his audience: “Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?” The crowd enthusiastically shouted, “Yes, yes, yes. You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. You can do anything!” “Okay,” said Blondin, “Who will get in the wheelbarrow??” No-one did!

To merely give intellectual assent does NOT save us.

So, what’s the good news? The good news is that there is a belief that does save.

To “believe” means the active acceptance of the message about Jesus.
This means there is a surrender, or active ongoing submission to Jesus…
This is the kind of belief, or faith, that 1 Jn 5:5 is speaking about: “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (He who gets in the wheelbarrow.)

2. What does it mean to know? (1 Jn 5:13 John writes, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”)

The Greek word is echō. It speaks of a joining – like a marriage.
This question takes us back to 1 Jn 5:7-8: “For there are three that testify: ⁸ the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”
These are the verses that have confounded biblical scholars… Theologians refer to this verse as the “Johannine Comma.” And most commentators agree that it is some form of Trinitarian reference. Matthew Henry, the 18^th century devotional commentator, simply refers to this verse as, “a trinity of heavenly witnesses.”

Let’s consider each one:

The (Holy) Spirit testifies.

Turn to Roms 8. This chapter is about life in the power of the HS.
Let’s begin in v.¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Here’s a test/quiz to see if you know…

What grip does fear have on your life?
When you suffer, do you turn TO God, or AWAY from God? Do you turn TO God’s people, or turn AWAY from God’s people?
Prov 18:1 – “S/He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom.”

2. What is the “water and the blood”?

Some scholars think the water is a reference to the birth of Jesus and the blood is a reference to His death on the cross.
Look at John 19:34-35: “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he [John] who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”

Jesus suffered from hypovolemic shock (low blood volume) during his beatings – and when he fell while carrying the cross…
This hypovolemic shock causes fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs.

Others have speculated that the water and blood are references to the sacraments of baptism and communion.

III. CONCLUSION

What’s the bottom line? Is your belief a saving belief? Have you gotten in the wheelbarrow? This is the objective response that John is looking for.
To use Paul’s language from Romans 8:15-16, is there a “spirit of adoption” resident in your heart? Has, “the Spirit Himself testified with your spirit that you are a child of God”? This is the subjective response that John is looking for.

This is how the gospel works for our sanctification…We are well aware of our depravity AND we have a growing witness and testimony of our Heavenly Father’s sovereign call ON our lives and transforming presence IN our lives.

[1] Someone has said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

[2] Justification (declared righteousness) and Sanctification (growing in righteousness), the process of sanctification must flow out of the reality of justification.

[3] Adapted from the essay Faith and Assurance by J. C. Ryle.

Texted Questions 8/21/11

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Gregg Caruso

We started something new at Southside last Sunday. People will be able to text questions during the sermon and we will try and take some time at the end to respond. Those questions we do not get to we will provide responses to here. The goal is to ask questions related to the sermon, but it’s understandable that sometimes additional questions might come up while we gather to worship…

Q: RE: “gifts of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of mission:” Would Muslims having dream encounters with Christ before meeting Christian missionaries be of the [spiritual] gifts and miracles in present day times?

A: Yes, I think so…There are, at least, a couple of passages that indicate God’s sovereignty in revealing Himself through dream encounters and other supernatural phenomenon: Acts 2:17 (quoted from Joel 2:28):

“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.”

Rev 14:6 —“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.”

A well-received book, first published in 1980, titled, I Dared to Call Him Father: The True Story of a Woman’s Encounter with God by Bilquis Sheikh, describes the process of a Pakistani noblewoman coming to a belief in Christ, through dreams and reading the Bible on her own.

Q: Growing up dispensational, now piecing things together between the three views (dispensational, covenant, and new covenant) I struggle with the lack of distinction. If so I can’t choose Him first and ask for the Spirit without the Spirit within me. Will you have more info on this on the blog?

A: It sounds like you are asking about the sovereignty of God related to salvation… There are two more distinctions within Protestantism that we didn’t speak to last Sunday: Calvinism and Arminianism. These theological frameworks have both overlap as well as fundamental disagreements. At the heart of the differences is the human will. Calvinists believe that the human will is incapable of choosing Christ – that we are dead in our sins (Col 2:13) until God’s sovereign electing grace breaks in. While the crux of Arminianism is the assertion that God has bestowed upon humanity an unimpaired freedom of the will and that those who choose to respond in obedience to Christ’s offer of grace will find eternal salvation (Heb 5:8-9).

Q: I am a Christian and I listen to some ungodly [music] – swearing, [graphic] language, etc. but I don’t let it influence me at all. Is it a sin to listen to the music?

A: Great question! The word music comes from the word muse. Muse means to think of or meditate on. The ancient philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) noted that, “emotions of any kind can be evoked by melody and rhythm; therefore music has the power to form character.” So, it seems that music is quite a powerful tool. One way to think of it is that music opens the soul (our intellect, will, and emotions) and speaks its “truth” into us. I would encourage you to be careful and thoughtful regarding what you fill your soul with. Paul, in Philippians 4:8 says,

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

Here’s an interesting quote by Confucius (551-479 BC): “A wise man seeks by music to strengthen his soul: the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears.”

Finally, let me say that Christian meditation[1] is a bit of a lost art in the Church today. This last Sunday we spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Often times it’s meditation that releases the warm presence and power of God into and through our lives. Consider these words from J.I. Packer in the Christian classic, Knowing God: How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is demanding, but simple. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into a matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God…Meditation is a lost art today, a Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is the activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on ones mind and heart.[2]

[1] Psalm 4:4 – “Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” Psalm 27:4 – “That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

[2] J.I. Packer, Knowing God, InterVarsity Press 1973: 18-19.

Gospel Shaped Core Values (Overview of Acts 1-2 developing some key core implicit values)

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Gregg Caruso

I. INTRO – Sermon notes from May 8, 2011

A. Diagnostic weekend – June 9^th-12^th.

B. A team of about 7 people will be here to interview as many people from Southside as they can

C. There will be an all-church meeting on Sun, June 12^th where an initial oral report will be presented.

D. We’ll be asking a lot of you that weekend to come in for an interview and then attend the all-church meeting to participate in the report.

E. Why study Acts?

Intro Acts Series: The Gospel Chronicles: How God Shapes and Builds the Church. A Study in the Book of Acts Part 1 – Part 1 (Acts 1-9).
We will be in Acts 1&2 for the next 3 weeks.
In addition to the themes covered in the first few chapters of Acts (that Dana spoke about last week), I can think of at least 3 similarities between Acts 1 and SBF…

The Christ followers were a people in transition…as we’ll see, things didn’t turn out the way they expected.

In the midst of some anxiety and disappointment, they began to connect the dots and run with a vision they never expected.

A relatively few people (120) blossomed into a church that reached its full redemptive purpose.

F. 7 Refocusing questions that we will address here at Southside during this transition season:

Who has God shaped us to be? (Core Values)
Why do we exist as a church? (Biblical Mission)
Where is God leading us in the future? (Fresh Vision)
Whom has God called us to reach? (Ministry Focus)
Which ministry model best facilitates our vision? (Building authentic community)
What ministry goals can we believe God for?
What is our plan for ministry for the next 2-3 years? (Strategic map)

G. What’s a Core Value? An enduring belief, a preferred choice. Core values are the essence of a church’s identity.

Those few, select distinctives that are non-negotiable.
Where is Southside’s God-given potential for greatness?
There is a difference between stated values and practiced values. Stated values are often religious values that people/churches think they should
have. Practiced values are the unique distinctives that a church is actually doing. Practiced values ask the question, “What are we currently doing that has the potential for greatness?”
There is a difference between implicit values and explicit values. Implicit values are implied values – while they may be clearly formed or articulated, they are not stated. Explicit values are definitive and clearly stated. Churches, with explicit, practiced values know who they are and who they aren’t. All opportunities for ministry are evaluated in the light of God given values, mission, and vision.

H. Today we will look at some of the practiced, implicit values that launched the church in Acts. These implicit values are salted through the first 2 chapters.

I. We can think of it like a football game – we don’t know what play they called in the huddle, but when they run the play we find out what play was called.

II. BODY

A. Implicit Values of Acts (Alternatively known as The Church I Would Join)

1. They were Kingdom Focused — Acts 1:3 (NAS) “To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”

a. The Kingdom of God – Quite simply is: The rule and reign of God.

The KOG is our destination.

Jesus established the Kingdom at his first coming and will consummate the Kingdom at his second coming. Jesus reaches into eternity and pulls it into the present – and stakes it into the ground with the Cross. “We live in the presence of the future.” “The already and the not yet.”

As we live in the presence of the future there is paradox (seeming contradiction). We are saved, but working out our salvation; we are sanctified, yet being sanctified; we are healed yet being healed. It’s both present and future

One of the most dynamic aspects of the present reality of the KOG, is that within it is the power that raised Jesus from the dead is made available to us. The Greek word is dunamis – the same word we get “dynamite” from – and which we find in Acts 1:8.

The Church is the fruit of kingdom activity.

The demands of the Kingdom are that we repent; we are to place God first, and follow him at any cost.

b. Kingdom is a gospel word – along with the Cross and Grace that form a theological construct to help us see the under-girding of the gospel throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation:

The Cross – Speaks of the Atoning Work of Jesus Christ

This is shorthand for the “5-Fold Christ Event”: 1) Virgin Birth, 2) Miraculous Ministry, 3) Degrading Death, 4) Victorious Resurrection, 5) Missional Ascension of Jesus Christ.

Apart from the atoning work of Christ, we would be forever guilty, ashamed, and condemned before God.

The way of God is suffering/humility – and then glory. This is what baptism is supposed to be about – I will die to my previous life and come alive to God – and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Grace – The unmerited favor of God. Acceptance is given to us freely at God’s expense. Martin Luther calls it, “the great exchange.”

It’s important that we understand there is common grace and saving grace happens when we take up residence within the KOG.

Definition: All that God is, lavishly poured into you.

Jonathan Edwards speaks of grace as, “the very Holy Ghost dwelling in the soul and acting there as a vital principle.”^[1]

2. They were Humble, Prayerful, & Unified — “And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying…¹⁴These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” Acts 1:13, 14 (NAS)

a. Humble prayers of confession and repentance before/with God and one another.

b. Corporate prayer leading to intercession – reminding the Lord of His word/promises.

c. Unity is a fruit, not a goal

3. They were Holy Spirit Empowered –

^1:4Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵forJohn baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

^2:1,4And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place…⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…

a. John 4:24 — God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

b. Eph 5:17-21 – ¹⁷So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, [we apparently need to be continually, or regularly, filled with the HS – Why? Because we leak!]

¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

²⁰always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

²¹and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

c. Two points

(Jn) We are to seek to live in the healthy tension of spirit and truth.

(Eph) HS infilling occurs when our hearts are worshipful, when we are grateful, and we walk in mutual submission.

d. John Piper: “Mission exists because worship doesn’t.” (Supremacy of God In Missions)

4. They delivered Contextualized Gospel Presentations — ¹⁶No! What you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel” Acts 2:15,16 (TLB)

5. They engaged in Honest/Straightforward Gospel Presentations – Acts 2:23, 36…

²³this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

³⁶“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

6. They were Outward Focused (Missional) — “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41 (NIV)

a.     There is a missional refocusing going on in the Church today.
b.     We are all called to be missionaries. The Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit send us.
c.     Changing metrics…

7. They were Intentional About Discipleship and Authentic Community (They lived Community in the context of Discipleship) – Acts 2:42-47

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; ⁴⁵and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

8. As a result of living out these values – they were Fruitful

a. “A sense of awe,” or a healthy fear of the Lord (v.43)

b. Wonders & signs (v.43)

c. Community (vs.44-47)

Identification

Equality

Unity

Enthusiastic joy

Praise

Favor with all the people

Salvation’s (v.47)

III. CONCLUSION

A. What does it mean to be Gospel centered? (Or, Christ centered?)

B. My experience is that the North American Church has lost, or squandered, much of the power – and the breadth of the Gospel.

I have been reminded recently that the Gospel is not advice – it is news. It is, in fact, the ultimate Good News. Sunday mornings are not the place to give advice.
Gospel-centered ministry is rooted in remembrance. On Sunday mornings we are to remind one another primarily of what Jesus Christ has done, not what we must do.

C. Many of us have tended to view the Gospel a message that we responded to many years ago – and then moved on from. Yet the Gospel is more like an ocean. It is deep, and wide, and vast.

We are called to view, and engage, and respond to the gospel with every passage of Scripture we read, or study.
I would suggest that the essence of Christian maturity is when the Gospel itself gets worked in – and through our lives.
Here is my goal for you – and for Southside: My aim is that you would experience Jesus (my goal for you is experiential) as the sovereign, risen, living, Lord of the universe – and as the source and the content of your real hope and joy. Two things are necessary:

God’s liberating truth

God’s liberating grace.

4. What is the evidence of salvation?

Fruitfulness
What is your deepest desire?

True Christians have conflicted desires to be sure. True Christians struggle, and sin, and mess up – to be sure. Yet, the deepest desire of the true Christian is for Jesus and the unfolding of the gospel.

Non-Christians – and you could say false Christians also have conflicted desires, yet their deepest desire is for themselves, or for ease, or comfort – something other than the person of Jesus Christ. (The simplest definition of idolatry is making a good thing an ultimate thing.)

Next week: Persistent and Passionate Prayer (Acts 1: 13-14).

[1] Jonathan Edwards, TREATISE ON GRACE.

The Discomforting Comfort of Turning to God

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Gregg Caruso

Hebrews 12:14-17

¹⁴Pursue peace with all [people], and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

¹⁵See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

¹⁶that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

¹⁷For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Hindrances to True Repentance
Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah (see Genesis 25:19-34), as well as grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a meal. (The birthright meant eventual headship of the family and a double share of the inheritance.) He also sought for repentance with tears but he could not (allow himself?) get there and was rejected by God. Why? I believe that the writer of the letter to the Hebrews displays deep prophetic insight into Esau’s psyche and identifies specific hindrances to Esau’s repentance. Repentance, is sometimes a last ditch effort to comply with our perception of God’s standards in order to avoid God’s wrath and punishment. However, the above description would more accurately characterize relentance and not repentance. In reality, repentance is one of the grand privileges of the Christian faith. So what is true biblical repentance?

Repentance Defined: not only a turning away from sin, but also a turning to God
In his book The Wounded Heart, Dan Allender records some penetrating yet refreshing definitions: “Repentance is an about-face movement from denial and rebellion to truth and surrender…repentance involves the response of humble hunger, bold movement, and wild celebration when faced with the reality of our fallen state and the grace of God…It is a shift in perspective as to where life is found…It is melting into the warm arms of God, received when it would be so understandable to be spurned.”

These are recorded for us as six specific admonitions:
1. Pursue peace with all people (v.14) – [To run swiftly in order to catch] [Peace — the harmonized relationships between God and humankind, the sense of rest and contentment. The corresponding Heb. word shalom primarily signifies “wholeness:”] Roms 12:18 – If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all [people].

2. Pursue sanctification (v.14) – [Sanctification is to set apart our heart’s and life for God’s purpose.] Esau was rejected by God because he steadfastly refused to serve the purpose of God and instead served his lust for the immediate and the tangible.

3. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God (v.15) – [Exercising oversight] [The merciful kindness by which God; exerting holy influence upon souls; turns them to Christ; keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection; and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues] We are to deposit the grace of God into everybody’s account! Titus 2:11,12 asserts, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all [people], instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”

4. See to it that no root of bitterness springs up – causing trouble and defiling many (v.15) – [Metaphor for extreme wickedness] [To dye with another color, to stain; to defile, pollute, sully, contaminate, soil] Deuteronomy 29:18-20 defines a root of bitterness as, “walk(ing) in the stubbornness of my heart.” Unforgiveness and unresolved hurt &/or anger combine to create a deadly poison. We must take the time to resolve our misunderstandings and differences. (Matthew 18:15-17 identifies the biblical pattern for conflict resolution)

5. Immorality (v.16) — Proverbs 5:9 tells us that in immorality, “you give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one” (Satan). Hardly worth it for a few moments of sensual gratification.

6. Godlessness (v.16) — Most followers of Christ think they are immune to this admonition, yet we need to ask ourselves this question: Do I invite the wisdom and counsel of God to accompany me as I move throughout my days? Proverbs 3:6 (TLB) tells us, “In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

Esau found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. I want my heart to remain soft and pliable before the Lord through humility, honesty, and integrity – quick to identify, confess, and forsake my sins. I want to live my life in grateful surrender to the plans and purposes that God has ordained for my life. I want to experience the blessings of being in right relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords through the privilege of repentance! This concept has come to be know as “walking in brokenness and vulnerability.” It is the counterintuitive way of the Christ-follower – and the unlikely route to joy (a chapter title in Allender’s book).

Romans 2:4 – the kindness of God leads us to repentance

Random Thoughts From My Stickies

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Gregg Caruso

I use the application “stickies” on my Mac to make notes to myself and to collect random thoughts, quotes, or pithy sayings to contemplate or study. Following are some random thoughts from the last few weeks. Sorry I didn’t always record the source…

*God’s perfection doesn’t merely reject or punish evil: it overwhelms it with good.

*Grace – God’s love for tomorrow coming into our life today

*Love – Shared hope (Kim McManus)

*There is a difference between obligation obedience and covenantal obedience

*Shalom results from living in the tension of…

Contentment (Phil 4:6-7)
Justice – making things right (Lk 18:7b-18a) “Shalom-makers”
Righteousness – right relationship, navigate the relationship (Rom 8:31-39)
Loyalty
Community (Col 3:12-17)
Wholeness
Integrity
Salvation

*Paradigm shift — Gap between stimulus and response (Covey)

*Rules keep us immature

*Virtue comes as a result of moral effort – It’s like learning a new language, it becomes second nature

*We don’t need to learn our love language as much as we need to learn the language of love

*Learn to think Christianly

*The nature of virtue ethics

*The Spirit works to re-humanize us

*Love is not our duty, it is our destiny

*Take a nurturing response toward your emtional self, listen to the emotional self in the presence of God (Ps 139:1-3), draw your emotional self toward God, stay and wait/receive in God’s presence (Ps 46:10; Lk 10:42) — It is scary to be deeply revealing in God’ presence.

*Soul ache

*God comes to you disguised as your life. –Paula D’Arcy

*Every person we meet is Jesus in a distressing disguise. –Mother Theresa

*Worship is the primary means to transformation

*Gideon and God test one another. God is available for interaction. Invitation to be bold (vs foolish). We are free to be bold.

*God “tests” us to reveal our hearts to ourselves (he already knows).

*OT is brutal and filled with war. The NT concept is that our battle is NOT against flesh and blood (Eph 6).

*Glory of God is among the poor. –Joel Green

*Take calcium to sleep better

*Spiritual Formation – Intentionally partnering with the work of the Holy Spirit to help people learn to love the Lord their God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

*Joy does not mean the absence of sorrow, but the capacity to rejoice in the midst of it. –Gordon Fee

*Bidden or not bidden, God is present. Erasmus/Jung

*God is the goal of God – John Piper

The embrace of faith, like any embrace, is visible. –Scot McKnight, Dancing Grace (Chap 13)

*Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honour should decline.
I refuse to die while I am still alive.
–GK Chesterton – Man Alive

Gregg Caruso

Refractions on Life and Leadership

Tag Archives: salvation