“He serves God, does not swear, honors father and mother, does not kill, does not commit adultery, and the like. Meanwhile, however, he does not observe his heart, does not note the reason why he is leading such a good life. He does not see that he is merely covering the old hypocrite in his heart with such a beautiful life.”
–Presumption Produces Self-Deceptionby Tullian Tchividjian
Our doing things in the kingdom of God should always be fueled by our pursuit of our King & God.
“Many people want the skyscraper promise of Romans 8:28, many want the precious reality of eternal security. But they don’t want it on God’s terms. They want their security AND their sovereignty. They want God to step in at the end of their lives with sovereign power and give them glory, but they do not want him to step in now with his sovereign grace and make them holy.” Listen Now:
Our pursuit of Christ is driven by joy. God is not out to destroy our joy, on the contrary, He is after our greatest joy. Jesus is not just better than hardships, He is better than the best stuff in life – sex, good food & drink, fulfilling relationships, healthy marriages, great kids, etc. The gospels are filled with statements calling us to loose our life in order to find true life.1 Yes, we must deny, follow, love everything less than Christ and be willing to give it all for Him and His kingdom. The question is, “Why?” Is it just our duty? Is it just what is required? Is it because Jesus does not want us to enjoy anything in this life? No! It is because Jesus is after our greatest joy. He is calling us to exchange that which is fleeting and temporal for that which is ultimate, eternal joy.2
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1 As an example: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:24–26 ESV)
2 For further information, see Jesus is After our Joy.
View post, Do You Feel Distant from God? by Desiring God
We want improvement not regeneration or transformation
“At the root of the human condition is a struggle for righteousness and identity. We long for a sense of acceptance, approval, security, and significance-because we were designed by God to find these things in him. But sin has separated us from God and created in us a deep sense of alienation.” Page 33
“Theologically speaking, pretending and performing are just two sophisticated ways of establishing our own righteousness. When we pretend, we are making ourselves out to be better than we are. When we perform, we are trying to please God by what we do.” Page 33
“Our souls must become deeply rooted in the truth of the gospel so that we anchor our righteousness and identity in Jesus and not in ourselves.” Page 34
“We don’t need to do anything to secure God’s love and acceptance; Jesus has secured it for us. When we embrace the gospel in this way, the infinite standard of God’s holiness is no longer fearful or intimidating. It leads to worship, because Jesus has met it for us. Our identity is in him. The good news of the gospel is not that God favors us because of who we are, but that he favors us in spite of who we are.” Page 35
-From The Gospel-Centered Life by World Harvest Mission. Download a free sample of chapter 1 here
“When God’s grace is working on us and in us, it will also work itself out through us. The internal renewal of our minds and hearts creates an external propulsion that moves us out in love and service to others.” page 67
“It is also the answer to your failure to love others, engage the culture, and live missionally. If the gospel is renewing you internally, it will also be propelling you externally.” page 68
“But that sense of ‘should’ has no motivational power. It was law, not gospel. It could show me what I ought to be doing, but it could not change my heart so that I actually wanted to do it.” page 68-69
“Was joyless, mechanical obedience really honoring to Jesus? Did God intend his commands to feel like drudgery? When faced with this dilemma, most people settle for either legalism (obey even though you don’t feel like it) or license (don’t obey at all). But neither of these is gospel! The gospel of God’s grace is the fuel for mission, and when we run low on that fuel, our love and service to others grinds to a halt” page 69
“It means that mission is not duty (something we ‘should do’) but a natural overflow of the gospel’s work inside of us. If you aren’t motivated to love, serve and speak the gospel to people, the answer isn’t ‘just do it,’ the answer is to examine your heart, repent of sin, and discern where your unbelief is short-circuiting the natural outward movement of the gospel. As the gospel renews your heart, it will also renew your desire to move out in faith into relationships and opportunities God places in your path.” page 69
-From The Gospel-Centered Life by World Harvest Mission. Download a free sample of chapter 1 here
“Many Christians have grown up in the church on moralistic preaching; that is, preaching that calls for obedience without connecting the commands of God to the cross of Christ”
“Naked commands, separated from the character of God, lack both weight and compelling beauty”
“God does not reveal his will so that we can build our confidence in our ability to keep it, but so that we can exalt and exult in the God we know by grace”
Read more on Killing Moralism here
Praying according to the will of God and reveals that they were were in eternal, loving community prior to the creation of the world – why would He create? He did not need community – as if we provide Him with anything that He is lacking! He created to display His glory: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24 ESV).
How did Jesus extend mercy and grace to Judas, whom he knew would betray Him? It is only because He trusted in God’s sovereign control over all things. As we submit and follow God’s plans, it is easier to extend grace because we see a bigger picture, the world is no longer just about us and our plans – it is about God and His plans. And God is in control of those plans. “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him” (John 18:4 ESV)
Jesus accepts God’s plan for His life – do you? ““Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”” (John 18:11 ESV)
Caiaphas is pawn in the hands of God. “It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.” (John 18:14 ESV)
How does the Creator of all things allow His creation to hit him. Wow! Power under control, meekness is portrayed. Only powered by love, mercy and grace. The mission was ultimate, not his own life. Jesus is the high priest (see Hebrews 4:14-15)! “When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”” (John 18:22–23 ESV)
The Gospel Centered Life 