Easy Distracted

I'm in the lab today. I got distracted. Here's what distracted me.

To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Q: What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers?
A: Mechanical Engineers build weapons, Civil Engineers build targets.

Q: How can you tell an extroverted engineer?
A: When he talks to you, he looks at your shoes instead of his own.

Sola Gratia: Only One Gospel

This past Sunday, Jared Mellinger kicked off a new sermon series at Covenant Fellowship Church called Sola Gratia (grace alone). It is an expository series going through Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia (the book of Galatians).

Jared started the series by preaching through the first ten verses of chapter one, while also giving an overview of the whole letter and what was to come in the series.

The sermon surrounded the question, “What does it mean to stand on grace alone?” and was followed by three answers:

1. We uphold the one true way of salvation!
2. We deepen our understanding of the Cross of Christ!
3. We enjoy the privileges we have in Christ!

At first glance, we think this letter does not apply to us, because we don’t believe we need adherence to the Jewish law for salvation; we do believe in salvation through grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. However, as Jared pointed out, the book of Galatians does apply to us. Jared said,

God gave us the book of Galatians because the foolish galatian tendency to drift, from grace, is in every single one of us. If the Christians in Galatia were vulnerable to this drift and if Peter and if Barnabas were vulnerable to that drift, then I think it’s good for us to acknowledge that every one of us is vulnerable to that same exact drift away from a Biblical understanding of God’s grace.

He then referenced the famous hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing saying,

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;

Personally, I know that I am prone to wander – I know that I am prone to leave God. We must actively flee from our good works; flee from that subtle drift away from grace. When God calls us to flee from something – it is always to flee to something else. We must flee to the Cross of Christ!

Aren’t you glad that, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing doesn’t end there, but continues?

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

God, in his mercy, will take our hearts and will seal them for his courts above!

Application Questions:

1. In what ways am I tempted to subtly believe that my acceptance before God is based on something that I do rather than what Christ has done?
2. Am I growing in my understanding and the appreciation of the Cross? Do you find yourself more amazed by grace the more you advance in your Christian walk?
3. Am I enjoying the privileges that we have in Christ?

Thought for the Day

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" (Galatians 4:9).

Band-aided Bullet Wounds

I was just reading a great article by Abraham Piper, John Piper's son, entitled "Let Them Come Home". He talked about when he was living in rebellion and was not a Christian. His third point convicted me about the way I relate to the unbelievers in my life. His point was to acknowledge that something is wrong.

When your daughter rejects Jesus, don’t pretend that everything is fine. If you know she’s not a believer and you’re not reaching out to her, then start. And never stop. Don’t ignore her unbelief. Ignoring it might make holidays easier, but not eternity.

Abraham makes a point that I know but often forget or push aside due to my desire for comfort. This is a good reminder to me about what love looks like, because it's not simply getting along with family members. I also appreciated his solution for the problem, point them to Christ. He goes on to say.

Your rebellious child’s real problem is not drugs or sex or cigarettes or porn or laziness or crime or cussing or slovenliness or homosexuality or being in a punk band. The real problem is that your child doesn’t see Jesus clearly. The best thing you can do for rebellious children—and the only reason to follow any of these suggestions—is to show them Christ. It won’t be simple or immediate, but the sins in their life that distress you and destroy them will begin to disappear only when they see Jesus more as He actually is.

How easy it is to want to fix a symptom of the problem when the real issue lies beneath. Sometimes we love bandaiding bullet wounds. We should pray to God changes us from band-aiders to surgeons when it comes to matters of the soul.

Rick

The Perfections as a Whole

How shall I praise th' eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend His high abode,
Or venture near His throne?

The great Invisible! He dwells
Conceal'd in dazzling light;
But His all-searching eye reveals
The secrets of the night.

Those watchful eyes, that never sleep,
Survey the world around;
His wisdom is a boundless deep,
Where all our thoughts are drown'd.

He knows no shadow of a change,
Nor alters His decrees;
Firm as a rock His truth remains,
To guard His promises.

Justice upon a dreadful throne
Maintains the rights of God;
While mercy sends her pardons down,
Bought with a Saviour's blood.

Now to my soul, immortal King!
Speak some forgiving word;
Then 'twill by double joy to sing
The glories of my Lord.

Isaac Watts, 1709

Another Evening in Catan...

Sigh.

(Apologies for bad cellphone image.)

Preparing Ourselves to Hear the Word of God

Donald Whitney makes a great comment in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life about where our heart should be as we are about to hear the Word of God preached on Sunday mornings. While not the main point of his chapter on Bible intake, he makes a fruitful digression.

If you enter the typical evangelical church two minutes before the start of the worship service, it sounds almost like you’ve walked into a gymnasium two minutes before a basketball game. Part of my pastoral heart appreciates the good things represented by people who are glad to see and talk with each other. There is a spirit of family reunion in the air when the family of God gathers together. But I think a larger part of my heart longs for reverence and a spirit of seeking God among those who come to hear His Word. (pg. 31)

Whitney continues, relating a story of a congregation of Korean Christians using his church building for their services.

I was impressed by the way they entered the worship center. Whether they were first to arrive or came in after the service had already started, they immediately bowed in prayer for several moments before arranging their belongings, unbuttoning their coat, or acknowledging the presence of anyone else. This served as an effective reminder to their own hearts and to everyone else of their main purpose for that time. (pg. 31)

Oh, how often I neglect to prepare my heart for corporate worship and the hearing of God’s Word on Sunday mornings. Oh, how easy it is for me to converse with others, or to even twiddle my thumbs aimlessly, instead of spending a few minutes with God in reverent prayer before the morning’s service begins. May God continue to pour out His grace on me so that I can approach his Word with more awe and reverence and thanksgiving!