Tag Archives: Dependence

Gospel Centrality

Jesus received God’s silence so we God’s eternal word of approval

When Jesus cried out on the the cross seven times, He experienced absolute silence – the silence of God is what we deserved.  Jesus got the silence the we deserved so that “we could get the word of approval that He received at His baptism, ‘this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.’  There is this glorious exchange that took place when Jesus received the silence from God that we deserved so that we could hear the eternal word of approval that Jesus Himself earned.”

-Tullian Tchividjian, The Gospel of Works, Part 6.

Growth/Pursuit, Meditations

Our identity, faith & obedience; God’s credentials, goals & sovereignty (Isaiah 48)

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Their identity came from being called by God.  They professed faith in God.  However, their practice was nominal, lukewarm, marginalized.“Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.” (Isaiah 48:1 ESV)

God’s ultimate goal is the zealous pursuit of His own glory – above a beyond ours.  He did not punish His children as they should have been in order to protect His glory – not because of them, but because of Him!  Let us not be glory thieves, for it is frightening to be at cross purposes with the Creator.  “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” (Isaiah 48:9–11 ESV)

God’s credentials:  I made you and everything else; I am unequaled and unchallenged.  “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.” (Isaiah 48:12–13 ESV)

God has determined to use Cyrus to deliver His people.  God has spoken and called him as a tool of His deliverance.  God will bring him forth and prosper him in order to accomplish His purposes – This is an idol worshiping pagan.  God is in absolute control – even of godless kings!  “Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way. Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.” (Isaiah 48:14–16 ESV)

Things would have gone differently had the people listened to and obeyed God.  He would have protected them and prospered them, but they couldn’t obey.  We don’t do much better, do we?  “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”” (Isaiah 48:17–19 ESV)

Growth/Pursuit

Our biggest problems are not outside of us

Our biggest problems are not on the outside of us (wife, economy, government, temptations).  We normally address these problems by saying that we need to work harder, do more, be more disciplined – look inside; this is Christianized self-help/self-esteem.  The gospel says that the greatest problem is on the inside and the solution is on the outside.  This was the mistake of the Jews in the first century.  They thought that the Romans – not sinful hearts – was the real problem.  Our biggest problem is the sin that lives in our hearts and our only solution is to look to the finished work of Christ.  Nothing in the bible tells us to fix our eyes on us and our own efforts.  The bible (Hebrews 12:1-2) tells us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith; we look up and out to the finished work of Christ.  Transformation comes from outside of us.

Gospel Centrality, Quotes/Lyrics

Spiritual growth is realizing how utterly dependent we are on Christ’s cross and mercy

“Spiritual maturity is not marked by our growing, independent fitness. Rather, it’s marked by our growing dependence on Christ’s fitness for us … spiritual growth is realizing how utterly dependent we are on Christ’s cross and mercy … Thankfully, the focus of the Bible is not the work of the redeemed but the work of the Redeemer. The gospel frees us from ourselves.”

-Tullian Tchividjian, read more here

Gospel Centrality

Temptations aren’t our problem

“This may come as a surprise to you, but temptation has more to do with belief than it does behavior.”

“This is why when Jesus was asked in John 6:28, “What must we do to be doing the works of God?” he answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him who he sent.” Jesus was making the indisputable point that unbelief is the force that gives birth to all of our bad behavior and every moral failure. It is the root. While the disciples located godliness in something they must do, Jesus pointed them back to himself–the One who came to do for them what they could never do for themselves. “Believe in me.””

“Believing that “it is finished”, that everything we need in Christ is already ours and therefore we need nothing more, is the hardest thing (so much harder than modifying our behavior) because we are all seasoned “do-it-yourselfers.” Self-salvation engineers (that’s all of us) find it much easier to make a moral “to-do” and “not-to-do” list and try to live by it, then they do trusting, believing, and resting wholly in the work and provision of Another.  “To be convinced in our hearts”, said Luther, “that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing” because “the sin underneath all sins is the lie that we cannot trust the love and grace of Jesus and that we must take matters into our own hands.””

Read More here

Gospel Centrality

The gospel requires that we abandon our performance

All religions are fundamentally based in human performance.  The follower must pray often or correctly enough, be moral enough, have enough piety or zeal, give enough, sacrifice enough, love enough, serve enough and adhere to countless other requirements as prescribed by their religion.  Regardless of whether this is a formalized religion or a far less structured religion; all religion is based on human performance in an attempt to earn heaven, acceptance, approval, or blessing from God (or gods).  Some religions aren’t attempting to earn approval, but are only trying to keep their deity from raining down wrath from on high.

Therefore, it is no surprise that a large number of people, many who would profess to be Christians, bring this same orientation to Christianity.  Many misunderstand Christianity, believing that it is founded on the same principles as every other religion – human performance and adherence to a code of conduct & morals.  This is not true of Christianity.  Christianity’s foundations are not built upon human performance, but God’s performance on our behalf (grace).  Christianity requires that we do the one thing that we are all hardwired to hate:  depend on something other than our own abilities.  Christianity requires that we place our ultimate trust in something outside of ourselves – the performance & sacrifice of Christ.  Christianity requires that we bring nothing to the table to barter with God, except for our failures and shortcomings (sin).  Christianity requires a recognition that we have nothing to contribute – even our faith is not produced by our own effort.  Christianity requires that we do that which is so counter-intuitive to is:  abandon our own performance.

When Christians understand that there is nothing that they can do to earn God’s acceptance, they become liberated to joyfully live their lives with abandon and obedience.  It was not our performance or ability that earned God’s acceptance in the first place and it is not our performance or ability that maintains God’s approval even after we are saved.  Our approval & acceptance by God is earned by the performance of Christ, period.  We do nothing to gain His approval – ever (not to earn salvation or to stay in His good graces after salvation).  Our ability to perform and obey has nothing to do with God’s acceptance of us.  The more we understand this, they more we will be moved to obey.

Gospel Centrality, Meditations

A Liberating Truth

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”” (John 8:47 ESV)

“but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.” (John 10:26 ESV)

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”” (John 18:37 ESV)

“We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6 ESV)

These passages highlight a liberating truth. That truth is that God is the One that works in the hearts of men so that they can hear His words. The pressure to convert or convince is not ours to carry; carrying this pressure serves as poor motivation to labor faithfully, joyfully & dependently.  We should work tirelessly, study faithfully and prepare diligently, but only those who are of God hear God’s words. What a relief! It doesn’t depend “on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16 ESV). Now, let’s go labor with all of our might because God just might allow us to play a part in His cosmic plan – not because He needs us, but because it glorifies Him to use such an incapable people as us and brings us profound joy in the process!

Growth/Pursuit

Your plan or His

““Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.”” (Isaiah 30:1–5 ESV)

Judah sought protection from Assyria by entering into a pact with Egypt for protection.  But God had promised to protect them.  They were a stubborn people who carried out their plans that was not His and they they had not sought His wisdom or insight on.  They made an alliance for protection that was not fueled by the Spirit – all the while, true protection was found in yielding to God and casting their cares upon Him.  When we make our own plans and execute our own agendas, the ultimate result is always disgrace and failure – there is a way that seems right to us (and may go well for a time), but in the end it always unravels.  When we reject God’s plans and do not earnestly consult Him for wisdom and direction then we are really rejecting God then judgement and one sin following another happens.  Let us never abandon a practical trust in the living God and seek His will and way in our lives, let us not lean on our own understanding or press our own agendas.

Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit, Quotes/Lyrics

I’ve been acting like I’m okay, but I’m not

“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