(Re)Born Free

As I was starting to write this post, I found that Alistair Begg, John Piper, and Tim Keller have been thinking along the same lines. So I’ve included several of their quotes here.

Recently I heard a passing comment (I think it was from Alistair) about the incident in Genesis 25 of Esau “despising his birthright” in order to get a bowl of stew. It’s easy to read that story and think, “Well, that was dumb! I’d never do something like that!” I had the sudden realization that in fact we do that every time we sin.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 ESV), and “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:14, 16). If we have been born again we have a new life in Christ, so any choice that is not in line with that new life is sin and is “despising our birthright.” All sin is first and foremost against our Father, God. Joseph said, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b). David wrote, “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight…” (Psalm 51:4a).

In his recent sermon on self-control, Alistair Begg said,

• “The fact is that when we sin like that, whatever was the object of our mistaken pleasure, we loved that more than we loved God… What we’re declaring is that God is not enough for us.”
• “True freedom is not a license to do as you please, but the liberty to do what you ought…”
• “Religion says ‘become by self-effort what you’re not.’ Christianity… says, ‘Become by grace what you are… because you have been set free… in order that you might live for Him.”

Tim Keller wrote, 

• “And when we began to worship and serve created things, paradoxically, the created things came to rule over us… We will either worship the uncreated God, or we will worship some created thing (an idol). There is no possibility of our worshiping nothing.”

Since that is the case, the best weapon we have against sin is to pursue greater intimacy with God. The more we know and love Him, the less likely we are to desire any lesser pleasure. Moses chose “to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25).

John Piper puts it this way,

• “Walking by faith means defeating sin’s pleasures with the promise of a superior pleasure in God.” http://www.desiringgod.org/labs/the-fleeting-pleasures-of-sin
• “The more satisfied you are in Jesus, the more free you are. The more you see Him, the more free you are. The more you savor Him, the more free you are. The more you trust Him, the more free you are.” http://www.desiringgod.org/one-day-you-will-not-struggle-to-obey

My desire is to be so satisfied in Christ that sin has absolutely no appeal. And one day that dream will become a reality when Christ returns and sin is finally defeated for eternity.

“We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:9-11).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Gently Led

I’ve been enjoying Alistair Begg’s recent series on the Fruit of the Spirit on Truth for Life, and appreciated his reminder that we cannot manufacture real fruit on our own. It is not the fruit of self-effort, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in us and with us and through us. The sermon on gentleness in particular caught my attention as he talked about the gentleness of God and its manifestation in the life of Christ. As I searched later, I came up with a few relevant verses:

• “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
• “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench” (Matt. 12:20a and Isaiah 42:3).
• “He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 20:11).

One of the opportune times to exercise gentleness is in response to sin: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1a). As I was thinking about that, it occurred to me that sometimes it’s easier to respond to others with gentleness than it is to be gentle with ourselves when we fail. Charles Simeon wrote,

“I have continually had such a sense of my sinfulness as would sink me into utter despair, if I had not an assured view of the sufficiency and willingness of Christ to save me to the uttermost. And at the same time I had such a sense of my acceptance through Christ as would overset my little bark, if I had no ballast at the bottom sufficient to sink a vessel of no ordinary size” (as quoted by John Piper in The Roots of Endurance, 107).

I can’t speak for him, but I find it far easier to remember my sinfulness than God’s forgiveness. I’ve come to think of shame as a “guilt ghost.” It is a spectre that lingers long after the offense is forgiven. It has no real power, but it deludes me into thinking more about my sin than my Savior. So I often need a reminder of the gentleness that God shows to His children. His desire is to draw us close, carry us, provide sustenance and rest, teach us, and lead us. Yet we keep wriggling away and trying to prove our worth rather than trusting Him.

I like the way David Phelps phrased it in his song “Gentle Savior”

Why can’t I walk away from my regrets,

And why is forgiveness so hard to accept?

My past surrounds me like a house I can’t afford,

But You say, “Come with Me, don’t live there anymore”

May God gently draw our eyes back to Him each day so that we may be assured of His love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Jesus indeed is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep and who continues to care for each one.

“Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life” (Isaiah 43:4).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

God Is Enough

I just finished reading Ann Swindell’s new book Still Waiting, in which she draws encouragement from the story of the bleeding woman in Mark chapter 5. The woman suffered for twelve years through no fault of her own, but was healed when she took the risk to touch Jesus’ robe in the midst of a crowd. As I read Ann’s book, I was starting to think to myself, “That’s all fine when you’re facing a trial, but what if you’re dealing with a temptation instead?” (Though if you read it, you’ll know that Ann’s own story deals with both trial and temptation.)

Interestingly, there is a parallel Scripture that is not evident in many English translations. In Mark 5:34 Jesus tells the woman, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace…” In Luke 7:50 Jesus tells a sinful woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The Greek word translated “made well” or “healed” is the same word used for “saved.” So whether our need is for physical or emotional healing or deliverance from sin, the answer to our needs is faith in God.

Ann writes:

“Jesus offers us resolution for our struggle. It may not be immediate and complete resolution in this moment, but it is full and complete resolution for our sin and separation from God… Soon the Great Physician will come, and he will reset every broken bone. He will heal every pain and restore every brokenness. He will renew our strength and wipe away every tear. He will fulfill all of our longings through his wonderful grace. He will make us whole” (198-200).

James chapter 1 mentions two things that require steadfastness—trials and temptations. If we remain steadfast in trials and temptations our faith is strengthened, otherwise we may fall away. And whether something is a trial or a temptation, our ability to persevere is highly dependent on remembering who God is and learning to rely on Him. James reminds us that trials and temptations are closely related because they come from the fallen state of this world, and only God can provide all that we need in the midst of this brokenness.

I ran across this quote from Hannah Whitall Smith as published in God Is Enough:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 

“The greatest lesson a soul has to learn is that God, and God alone, is enough for all its needs. This is the lesson that all God’s dealings with us are meant to teach, and this is the crowning discovery of our entire Christian life. God is enough. 

No soul can really be at rest until it has given up dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us.”

Whatever trial or temptation may be at hand today, God is enough. He gives only good gifts, even though they may not be exactly what we desire at the moment. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV). We can come to Him in faith that He knows everything and will do what is best.

“Any my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:10).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

At the Foot of the Cross

Today I joined with the group of churches that carry a cross from Mint Hill Baptist to the town center, stopping for Scripture readings along the way. As there were hundreds of people participating, there were many conversations taking place all around us as we walked along. The friend I was with asked, “Do you suppose this is what it was like?”

As I was thinking about it later, I imagine that both Palm Sunday and Good Friday were filled with people who didn't really know what was going on. There were bystanders watching as Jesus passed who had no idea who He was and just went about their business for the day. There were other people who were curious enough to follow the crowd in hopes of seeing or hearing something interesting. There were many who had false ideas about who Jesus was—some wanting to kill Him, others wanting something from Him. And there were a small number who would come to faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

I was reminded of a camp I worked at while on summer ministries. One night the youth enacted the crucifixion (though greatly sanitized). The mother of the teen who played Jesus was there, and she said later it was all she could do to keep from running up to get her son off the cross. The cross takes on new meaning when you know the person hanging there.

For those who drove past us today and for those who walked with us, I’m sure there were a wide range of thoughts and beliefs, from annoyance to skepticism to curiosity to faith to overwhelming gratitude for the One who took our place.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

© 2017 Dawn Rutan.  

Not Done Yet

I’ve been listening to Christmas music recently. (Doesn’t everyone do that at Easter?) I was reminded again the “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas song. It really refers much more to the Second Coming of Christ when He comes in victory than of His incarnation in humility. It’s curious how we have one set of songs for Christmas, another set for Easter, and others for the Second Coming, and very few that span the gap. (“In Christ Alone” does that better than most.) We spend weeks or months preparing for Christmas celebrations complete with pageants, carols, and presents. Preparations for Easter are usually a little shorter. And many Christians have given no thought at all to His Second Coming despite the fact that it could happen today.

Jesus came in relative obscurity. A few shepherds and wise men were the only witnesses to His early life. His death was public—in the midst of the Passover crowd in Jerusalem. His resurrection, though initially revealed to just a few, was eventually witnessed by more than 500 (1 Cor. 15:6). However, the Second Coming of Jesus will be seen by all. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16 ESV).

Most of the modern world references (if unknowingly) the birth of Christ every day when we write today’s date. But the birth of Christ has very little meaning apart from His death and resurrection. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). That would more appropriately be the turning point in history. However, even the resurrection has limited meaning apart from the Second Coming. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead in order to take us out of this world, but so that when He comes again we can be part of His new heavens and new earth. “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:24).

As we celebrate this Easter, let us not forget the bigger picture of all God has done and will do through the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ.

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing…” 

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Arise My Love

Every now and then I have a moment when it seems like God pulls back the corner of the veil to give me just a glimpse of His glory and majesty. I was reading something that mentioned the song, “Arise, My Love” by NewSong, and I had to listen to it to remember all the words. It draws on imagery of 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (ESV), “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” But the Apostle Paul didn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As I read that, I realized that I’ve held an incomplete understanding of all that Paul is saying in these verses. My primary thought has always been that death is the consequence of living in a sinful, fallen world—in essence, that death is the sting of sin. But Paul said it the other way around. “The sting of death is sin.” In Romans Paul wrote, “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (6:6), and “now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (7:6). Then he pulls it all together in 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Sin and death are intimately intertwined. The first sin brought death into the world—not just the death of the physical body, or even the eternal death of condemnation, but also the daily “walking death” of lives wrapped up in sin. But the death of Jesus on the cross freed us from all the reign and power of sin and death. We are no longer bound to that old master. Yes, physical death will still occur for whatever time remains for this earth, but it is ultimately conquered. Sin will also remain for a time, but its power is defeated. We are free to say no to temptation and freed from the daily death of sin.

I wish NewSong had written another verse to their song, because God didn’t just call Jesus to arise from the grave. He also calls us to arise from the grave of sin every day. He keeps saying, “Arise, My love, the grave no longer has a hold on you!” When temptation comes our way, “Arise, My love, and listen to the voice of your true Master!” When sin trips us up, “Arise, My love, you are forgiven!” When death darkens our door, “Arise, My love, this is not the end!”

My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
(Song of Solomon 2:10-13)

We no longer belong to the realm of sin and death, but we live in the kingdom of life. May we all hear His voice calling us to arise out of whatever grave we find ourselves in today.

“Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Deflated

Last Sunday’s sermon included Mark 11:25 (ESV), “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses,” along with the question, who do you need to forgive? I confess that my first thought was “myself.” As I thought about it further, I realized that my problem was not unforgiveness but wounded pride. Guilt and shame feel a lot alike. One difference is that shame is not necessarily tied to any actual sin. Many of the things that plague me are not sins but mistakes or errors in judgment—giving an answer that is based on incomplete knowledge of the facts; not anticipating the impatience of angry drivers on busy roads; or misjudging someone’s intentions. In my imaginary world, I would always have perfect knowledge and therefore would always do what is best and would please everyone all the time. Even as I write that, I realize that God’s perfect knowledge and perfect actions still don’t please everyone, and I am far from being God.

In the midst of my ponderings, I read the following in Lysa TerKeurst’s book Uninvited:

“Anything that infuses us with humility is good. Even if it feels a bit like humiliation in the moment, the workings of humility within are a gift. The tweaking of us by God in the quiet is the saving of us in public. The only difference between humility and humiliation is that one chose to bow low while the other tripped and fell there. Either way, the sweetest grace lifted my face, and I saw that on the other side of the stripping of pride are some of the best gifts God gives us.

“The Bible reminds us that on the other side of humility we find wisdom (Proverbs 11:2). We will be lifted up by God Himself in due time (1 Peter 5:6). ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6 NLT). Humility isn’t a place of weakness but rather a position that will come with honor (Proverbs 18:12). And humility is an absolute requirement for those who ask God to heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14)” (pp. 108-110).

Humility is one of those things that is mentioned often in Scripture but rarely discussed in the church. It’s not really something we are interested in pursuing, perhaps because we think of it as the opposite of pride. Tim Keller, in his helpful little book on 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, rightly criticizes the modern self-esteem theory.

“The person with the superiority complex is overinflated and in danger of being deflated; the person with an inferiority complex is deflated already... Deflated or in imminent danger of being deflated—it is all the same thing. And it makes the ego fragile... Trying to boost our self-esteem by trying to live up to our own standards or someone else’s is a trap. It is not an answer... [The] essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself.”

The answer according to the Apostle Paul is that God’s opinion is the only one that matters. “It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:4b). And as Keller puts it,

“Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance? … In Christianity, the moment we believe, God says, ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.’ … ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ … You see, the verdict is in. And now I perform on the basis of the verdict. Because He loves me and He accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my resume. I do not have to do things to make me look good.”

I will be the first to admit that this is far easier said than done when the ego starts getting even slightly inflated. The Apostle John wrote, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:16-17). I’m striving to learn to welcome the little (or big) humiliations that remind me that I am weak but that I serve a strong God. It is indeed a gift of God to remember that He is in control and I’m not. And I need constant reminders that my identity is not determined by my competence at work, having all the right answers at the right times, pleasing everyone, or even my ability to resist some temptation. My identity is determined solely by my relationship with my Father in heaven, and His love for me is unchanging. Therefore I can say with Paul, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself” (1 Cor. 4:3).

“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12).

“But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:6,10; see also 1 Peter 5:5-6).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.