When I think about the recent passing of Michael Jackson it seems almost like a modern day parable. A verse of Scripture also comes to mind:
“what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
My goal is not to be insensitive, rude, or mean spirited. But I believe that we have a great opportunity to understand a very important principle: It’s so easy for us to lose sight even as Christians of the ONE THING that ultimately matters in this life.
We come into this world with nothing and we leave it with nothing. Naked we came in and naked we will leave. And the only thing that we can take with us is our saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Or to say it another way- the only clothing we can take with us is the ‘robe of His righteousness.’ That is the ONE THING that ultimately matters in this life- coming to know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
Don’t get me wrong- there are many great and wonderful things that take place here and now that will have eternal ramifications and significance. Relationships we develop with relatives and friends here on earth will be continued on in heaven. Good works we do will yield eternal benefits. That’s just to name a couple. But those things will only have eternal significance if we are ‘in Christ’ and saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Michael Jackson was about as famous and successful as anyone could ever hope to be in this life. It is mind boggling to think of his success. But what good does it do him today? Unfortunately, unless Jackson at some point came to know Christ as Savior and Lord he is eternally separated from God and His blessings. He is forever under God’s judgment and condemnation.
But how many are chasing after even a percentage of the success that Jackson had? How many are making worldly success the priority in their lives even as Christians?Again, it’s OK to work hard, have a good job or career, and have some money. But as Christians we need to be seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) We should be consumed with things eternal, not temporal or temporary.
John the apostle makes this statement:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
This world is passing away, but God’s kingdom is eternal. These 70 or 80 years are a blip on the radar in light of eternity.
If you are an unbeliever you must repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ as the One who lived the perfect life you were supposed to live and died the sinners death that you deserved to die.
If you are a believer take this time to make sure that your priorities are in order. God is to have the priority and the preeminent position in our lives.
My prayer is that God will use this situation to bring many to Himself!
I am very excited that we are going to begin a study through the book of Romans this Sunday at Redeemed. Won’t you pray with us that God will bless our studies and cause us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? And will you also pray that God will help us to grow in our appreciation of the great “Gospel of God”?
Here are a couple of quotes regarding Romans:
John Calvin said, “if we have gained a true understanding of this Epistle, we have an open door to all the most profound treasures of Scripture”
FF Bruce wrote “time and time again in the course of Christian History it has liberated the minds of men, brought them back to an understanding of the essential Gospel of Christ, and started spiritual revolutions”
Frederick Louis Godet said, “the probability is that every great spiritual revival in the church will connected as effect and cause with a deeper understanding of this book.”
John Mac Arthur Most, if not all of the great revivals and reformations in the history of the church have been directly related to the book of Romans.
High praise indeed! May God do something great in us!
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In chapter 1 of Paul Tripp’s book ‘War of Words’ makes us aware of a very important truth. The very first words that a human being ever heard were the words of God Himself!
Tripp says, ‘You do not really understand the significance of words until you realize that the first words that human ears ever heard were not the words of another human being, but the words of God! The value of every piece of human communication is rooted in the fact that God speaks!’
Tripp goes on to talk about the fact that, because God chose to communicate in that way, He raised talk to the place of highest significance as His primary vehicle of truth. From the very beginning of Creation God chose to reveal Himself, His plan, and His purpose in words. How amazing that the Creator God made himself known to man through human language!
Tripp says that we cannot understand human communication unless we start with the glory of God and His amazing grace as He reveals Himself to us in terms that we can understand.
God’s words give Man meaning and purpose. We can only know ourselves as we listen to what God has said about us. Gods words tell us who we are, what we are to do, and how we are to do it.
Tripp closes the section by saying, ‘Words are not cheap. Words reveal, define, explain, and shape.’
Isn’t it easy to forget about where words come from? Isn’t it easy to forget that God has given us the ability to speak for for good and not for evil? Don’t we see speech used for all the wrong reasons all around us every day? And don’t we, even Christians, use our language wrongly on a daily basis?
Here is an incredibly challenging command concerning our speech:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)
May God transform us day by day into people who are using speech the way it was designed to be used!
In chapter one of War of Words Paul Tripp says something that is worth pondering:
‘Words are powerful, important, significant. It was meant to be that way. When we speak, it must be with the realization that God has given our words significance. He has ordained for them to be important. Words were significant at Creation and at the Fall. They are significant to redemption. God has given words value.’
Take a moment to ponder the words that were spoken at Creation. Think about the words that were spoken when Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Fall. Ponder the words that unfold the history of redemption, including the gospel message the we are to believe for salvation! You must come to the conclusion that words are extremely important!
In chapter one of his book ‘War of Words’ Tripp starts by taking note of the fact that being able to communicate separates us from the rest of creation. He says that we talk almost non stop without considering how important our words are. But, he says, few things are more important.
Tripp says, ‘Talk seems so normal, so ordinary, so unimportant, so harmless. Yet there are few things we do that are more important. And underneath the normality of it all is a great struggle, a war of words we fight every day.’
He goes on to give various examples of communication problems that are typical to human beings. I am sure that you can think of a few yourself, right off the bat. He makes this statement: ‘Who among us has not been hurt by the words of another?’ Th answer, of course, is no one!
Tripp makes the very important point that this is not a book about being condemned! Rather, it is a book about hope! We can be hopeful that, though we misuse our words daily, though we sin with our mouths regularly, there is hope!
Today I am going to start posting notes from the book ‘War of Words’ by Paul David Tripp. I love the subtitle of this book: Getting to the heart of your communication struggles.
As I say so often from the pulpit, the gospel has positive implications for so many areas of life. Tripp says that our communication is included.
He says, ‘I have written this book because I am convinced that we do not understand how radically the gospel can change the way we understand and solve our communication problems.’ (page 5)
Stay tuned- more to follow soon!
If I were to ask you the simple question, ‘what is the Gospel?’, how would you respond? Would you be able to clearly articulate the Gospel back to me? I hope that you could, but I have come to the conclusion through much listening and reading that very few people in our land (Christian or non Christian) truly understand what the Gospel is. So if you know what it is, this will be just a reminder, but good for your soul. And if you don’t know it yet, hopefully you will not only understand it for yourself, but respond to it and be saved. And then you will be able to clearly articulate it to others!
The Gospel is simply this: Because human beings were separated from God because of sin and under his just condemnation, God sent His Son into the world to live the perfect life and die the sinners death. He died, was buried, and then was resurrected to pay the FULL PRICE for our salvation! (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Notice this very important truth: The Gospel is completely and entirely about what GOD HAS DONE! The Gospel that we believe and share with others is all about Him! And we are simply to BELIEVE the gospel, to repent and we will be saved. And even the belief (or faith) and repentance is a gift from God!
Now, once we are converted, there will many things that happen as a result of being saved- but they are not the Gospel! Christians are commanded to do things IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL and in response to the Gospel- but never to separate these things from the Gospel!
Notice this incredibly important truth: Over a long period of time a confusion of Gospel and the good works that flow from the Gospel leads to moralism and away from the power and glory of the Gospel. Sadly in our day, we are seeing the bad fruit of that very problem. Won’t you be a part of the solution? Won’t you take the time to make sure you truly understand this vital distinction? And won’t you help others to understand it as well? I pray that you do!
Here is a powerful quote to chew on for a few minutes:
“The purpose of your life must be the purpose of Christ’s death.”
-Ed Clowney
How are we doing with this one?
Tim Keller makes this statement:
“The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.”
I love this statement, because it reminds us that we cannot do anything to make ourselves right with God, and we cannot do anything to ‘pay God back’ for the salvation He has granted to us in Jesus Christ. We are to simply respond to the gospel (aka ‘good news’) and live accordingly. Once we understand what we justly deserve because of our sin (wrath and judgment) and what God has given us instead (heaven and eternal blessings) because of the death of His own beloved Son, we can’t help but live changed lives.
For one thing, believing that message unto salvation will mean that we are born again (John 3:3) and new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). It will also mean that God will begin to write His law within us, on the tablets of our hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10) meaning that we will have a desire to do His will. Simultaneously, the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, comes to live within us!
The gospel, along with the the work that God has done within us, will cause us to follow Christ. This is what Christianity is to look like, because it flows out of the gospel message. Without our changed behavior being linked to the work of of Christ on our behalf and the forgiveness of sins as a result, changed behavior is just moralism, which can be practiced by people of any religion in the world.
If there is one ‘take away’ from this post, it’s this: If you are a Christian, make sure that the gospel drives the transformation in your life. And then give God all the glory!