That Christ May Dwell In Our Heart Through Faith

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - Eph 3:14-17a

At least two things have conspired  together to motivate me to write this post. The first is that as I scanned my blog for a previous post, I was reminded that I hadn't posted a new entry in over 6 months. This served as a poignant reminder that there are no time vacuums. Any margin I had for blog writing was gone.

The second thing that called me forth to write this post was not just reading but praying through Eph 3:14-21. As I did so, I was convinced and convicted again of a few realities that I felt a compulsion to share. These realities are not new by any stretch of the imagination. However, I you're like my, they are easily lost in the business and distractions of day to day life.

First:  Earnest, heart-level, prayer is essential to the Christian life. In Eph 1 & 3, Paul prays from is heart in a way that transparently shows he aches for the Ephesians to really, really, really know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the depth of his love. This cannot nor will not happen without prayer.

Second:  There is a bigger reality that is outside of us that the Holy Spirit will give us incredible glimpses into if we actually seek them. That is part of Paul's prayers "let them see with the eyes of their heart" "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge". We all live quite myopically on our own. But God can give us the corrective lens of the Spirit if we simply, continuously ask him.

So here are the questions the Holy Spirit is pressing in my heart and mind right now. Why does Paul think I need strength to have Christ dwell in my heart through faith? Doesn't Jesus just do it? Maybe there is more to having Jesus dwell in my heart by faith than I realize?

Why does it take strength to comprehend the dimensions of Christ's love? Is it, perhaps, because Jesus' love isn't just ooey-gooey Valentine's Day love, but gritty and transformative? Is it, perhaps, that Jesus' love has implications to me, to my love both for God and others and how I respond to the gospel?

How can I, or anyone, know a love that surpasses knowledge? Is this part of the onion like reality of God, Jesus and the gospel? The more when press in, the more the Spirit reveals, the more we know and press in. Can a God who is infinite ever be fully known? Maybe the amazing, gracious thing is that a God who is holy can even be known at all.

How can I, or anyone, ever be filled with all the fullness of God? Would this take some renovation, some reconstruction, some demolition within my own heart? Would this take some strengthening and some shoring up of any love that I have? Wouldn't this require that Jesus really live in my heart through faith?

After listing these questions--and there probably are more--I can see why Paul concludes with his mini doxology. So that is how I will end as well.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Eph 3:20-21

To God Alone Be The Glory

A Crucifixion Narative

Some may have heard this before, but it is well worth its 22 minutes. Especially this weekend, as our calendars call us to pay a little closer attention to the magnitude of the Cross. May God richly bless your Good Friday / Easter weekend. And may we rejoice over what Jesus has accomplished at the Father's hand by the Spirit's power so that we might stand forgiven, cleansed, remade and alive.

Here are two excerpts:

"In that moment Jesus hears his own word of power: the word of power that holds the merciful centurion in existence, the word of power that causes the hammer to be. He’s speaking it all into being: the soldiers, the priests, the thieves, the friends, the mothers, the brothers, the mob, the wooden beams, the spikes, the thorns, the ground beneath him, and the dark clouds gathering above. If he ceases to speak they will all cease to be. But he wills that they remain. So the soldiers live on, and the hammers come crashing down."

------------------

"(Jesus) downs every drop of the scalding liquid of God’s own hatred of sin mingled with his white-hot wrath against that sin. This is the Father’s cup: omnipotent hatred and anger for the sins of every generation past, present, and future—omnipotent wrath directed at one naked man hanging on a cross.  

The Father can no longer look at his beloved Son, his heart’s treasure, the mirror-image of himself. He looks away.  

Jesus pushes himself upward and howls to heaven, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

Silence."

To God Alone be the Glory

A Crucifixion Narrative - link 1

A Crucifixion Narrative - link 2

(these are the same message in two different locations)

In The Night

For Good Friday and Easter Sunday, this song by Andrew Peterson captures the breadth of what the Father, Son and Spirit accomplished and the joy that reality should emblazon in our souls. SDG


In The Night - Andrew Peterson

I am weary with the pain of Jacob's wrestling
In the darkness with the fear, in the darkness with the fear
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
So in the night, my hope lives on

And when Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
So in the night, my hope lives on

I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
For some hand to stay the whip his foe is wielding
Still in the night, my hope lives on

I see the armies of the enemy approaching
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
So in the night, my hope lives on

Like the son who thought he'd gone beyond forgiveness
Too ashamed to lift his head--but if he could lift his head
He would see his father running from a distance
In the night, my hope lives on

And I can see the crowd of men retreating
As he stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in his holy heart is beating
Then in the night, my hope lives on

Well, I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was beaten, He was crucified, and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone

But the rulers of earth could not control Him
No, they did not take His life--He laid it down
All the chains of death could never hope to hold Him
So in the night, my hope lives on

And I can see the Son of Man descending
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the gates of Hell will never stand against Him
So in the night my hope lives on

The Grace of a "Throw Away" Verse

[God], who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Cor 1:8

Name the Corinthians' problem. Divisive over the gifts? Arrogant toward their sin? Triumphalistic in their view of their own sanctificaation?

Name Paul's attitude toward the Corinthian church. Frustrated at their lack of spiritual growth? Surprised by their willingness to treat other brothers with contempt? Upset that they would willingly tarnish the bride of Christ?

All of this (and probably much more) serves as a helpful diagnostic when reading 1st and 2nd Corinthians. But nowhere do we get the real sense that the Corinthian church was doubting God's sustaining love and grace.

So my question the other day was this: Why did Paul insert v8 into his introduction to his letter? He never really follows up. He never really stresses this theme again (ala Rom 8). So, why did you do it Paul?

I think the answer is this: the power and promise of Jesus' life, death and resurrection are so central in Paul's mind that he doesn't see the need to repeat himself. Everything flows from this reality. Christ paid the infinite price. Therefore we don't have to, now or forever. Jesus secured our redemption, not just for Good Friday, not just for Easter Sunday, not just for the day we "accepted" our salvation, not just for the day we are ushered into heavenly glory, but for everyday and for all time.

Paul's whole thesis to the Corinthians, be the Christians Jesus has called you and saved you to be, is grounded on the fact that Jesus died and rose (15:1-4) and through this sacrifice of himself, Jesus will hold us secure and guiltless to end. No matter what.

To God Alone be the Glory

To Cling and Hunger Like Never Before

A prayer by CH Spurgeon

"O Lord, that we would cling to you more firmly than ever we have done. We trust that we can say we love you Lord, but Oh that we would love you more! Let this blessed flame feed on the very marrow of our bones. May the zeal of your house consume us; may we feel that we love you Lord with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, with all our strength, and hence may there be about our life a special consecration, an immovable dedication unto you O Lord alone...

"O Lord Jesus, deepen in us our knowledge of you. We would that the Word of God were more sweet to us, more intensely precious, that we had a deeper hunger and thirst after it. Oh that our knowledge of the truth were more clear and our grip of it more steadfast. Teach us, O Lord, to know the reason for the hope that is in us, and to be able to defend the faith against all comers. Plough deep in us, great Lord, and let the roots of your grace strike into the roots of our being, until it shall be no longer we who live, but 'Christ who lives in us' "

Grace and the Sovereignty of God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. - Col 1:15-20 (ESV)

I have chosen my words carefully for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because I know there is an age old debate within the Church regarding God's sovereignty set against a person's responsibility. I am not bold enough to say I have the answer, although I do believe God's Word constrains the debate much more than many of us would like.

The second reason for choosing my words carefully is that some reading this may think this is an attack on (or a defense of) of a particular person. That is certainly not my intent. There is only One person with a perfect theology and I am not Him. I wish to speak to our heart attitude and I think God's Word gives us more clarity than we realize, if we are willing to press into it.

With that being said, I feel compelled to declare that it is a gracious gift to us that God is sovereignly in control of all things. I realize that there is much packed into that thought and it may be too much for me to address in the remainder of this post. However, I will try to lay out a Biblical defense of this idea.

First, it almost seems silly, but I will state it for the record: I think the Bible is clear that God is sovereign over all things. Col 1 (above) states it, as does the conclusion of Job, the story of Joseph (Gen 37ff), Jer 1:5, Phil 1:6, Acts 4:27-28, and so on. Jesus states that not a sparrow falls to the ground without God's decree (Mt 10:29) and that God clothes the flowers that last only a day (Mt 6:30). Yet, both of these statements are not laid out by Jesus to defend God's sovereignty. Rather, he presumes this sovereignty to declare something even better: God's love and grace!

Second, I think our amazement at the the love and grace of God is limited by our lack of amazement at the sovereignty and authority of God. Somehow, in our quest to reform our own behavior and the behavior of those around us, we too quickly slide into calling ourselves or each other to act. "Do this and God will be pleased." "Stop that or you may miss the blessing God has for you." And while I want to be crystal clear that there is a huge responsibility in following Christ and God's expectations on us are indeed high, we must get things in the correct order. If not, we will not ultimately reform our behavior nor we will we please the God who desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Here is a question to ponder: What is the basis of your confidence in God? For many of us it is based on the fact that He has done something (or many somethings) for us. We see evidence of His mercy and power and say "Amen! I now know that God can save me." This is not an invalid reaction, but what happens if (when) the tide turns? What happens when the cancer or alzheimers comes? What do we do with job loss or children abandoning the faith? What if our government no longer supports or even tolerates us? What is the basis our confidence if every external evidence of God's grace is taken away? Can we worship with Job and proclaim: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ?

(As I write this, I just listened to a sermon from Acts 7 re: Stephan. Did God lose control there? What about God's best for him? And yet through his death the gospel spreads through the Empire via...persecution)

My thesis is this: We are children of God as declared in Rom 8, John 1 and a myriad of other places. Because of this, God is in fact for us (Rom 8:31). But, he is for us not just for today but also for tomorrow. Will he take care of our daily needs? Absolutely! (Mt 6) But he has a much bigger, better goal in mind. He wants the love of our hearts and the shape of our lives to more and more reflect the nature and character of Jesus (1 Th 4:3) for his glory. (Jn 17:9, 16-19)

So, how can God accomplish this work of re-creation if he is not sovereign? If I'm in any way in control, God's mission will ultimately fail and my confidence is a sham. However, if I am a role player in God's great story of my life, then Jesus really can be the author and perfecter of my faith. I really can say with full assurance the nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And I can know that all things (promotions and firings, healthy checkups and cancer, community support and government hostility) work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. He must be sovereign or none of this make sense.

And, if God is sovereign and he is executing his plan for his glory and the good of his people, His sovereignty is such a gracious gift. God owes us nothing, yet he has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

To God Alone be the Glory!

Amazing Grace?

We probably all know the first line of this hymn:

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me"

I want to say that I agree with John Newton's assessment. Grace is amazing and its very, very sweet.

And yet I think that familar words and hymns and creeds can become rote and routine. I think we can read or sing or say the words but lose their meaning and power. So, today I'm seriously asking myself: "Is God's grace really amazing?" and "If it is amazing, why?"

Amazing? Really?

One could probably open the Bible to any page and see statements of God's grace, mercy and steadfast love. Lam 2:22-24 come to mind (see blog post for 1/4). However seeing the reality of these things and assigning an adjective like amazing to them are two different things. And people being who they are can easily dismiss something that may in fact be amazing (see Jn 12:27-29)

But, if you slowly and carefully read passages like Isa 1 or Rom 1:18-3:20, you begin to get the sense that there are dimensions to this grace and mercy that we have received that go beyond the simple fact that I'm a helpless sinner (which in fact we all are). So, I thought I'd list some of the realities that make God's grace amazing.

• We are totally helpless in the spiritual sense
• We are broken / fractured at such a foundational level that we cannot truly discern God's work
• We see ourselves as the center of the universe
• We consciously and subconsciously wish God would both leave us alone and provide everything we need (spiritually bi-polar?)
• Others exist to make us happy and we would gladly kill them (physically or at least verbally / emotionally) when they fail in this task
• Our view of heaven is where we finally achieve all that has been missing in our lives

The fact that Jesus steps into this quagmire should simply astound us. The more I know about God (a small thimble compared to all the oceans' water) and the more I know about the human heart (maybe two thimbles), the more I identify with God's judgement in Noah's day and in Lot's day (Gen 6-8; 19). These events both demonstrate the justice (good and right) of God. But, even here, where God is giving human rebels, spiritual traitors the punishment they deserve, we witness grace. Why save Noah? Why save Lot? Why save you? Why save me?

More than amazing?

For me, this is where the love and grace and mercy of God become incredibly amazing. When you consider the fact that He paid our unpayable debt and he gave to us the right standing we did not and could not obtain on our own and you add to that the reality that he did this while we were his enemies, rebels and traitors, then you have astoundingly, amazing grace.

Years ago, I heard a speaker say that the stunning thing about John 3:16 is not so much that God loved the whole world in a numeric sense (i.e. isn't it amazing that God can love so many people). Instead, John 3:16 is stunning because the world, especially in John's writing, is such a bad place (i.e. isn't it amazing God can love anyone as sinful as me, much less millions of us). God's love is expansive, covering the globe, covering the centuries, covering all cultures and languages and genders. But this love and mercy and grace become a multifaceted diamond when you really consider how unlovely and unworthy and treacherous and self absorbed we are.

Consider anything you enjoy or appreciate. Something you "love" in the broad, 21st century way of speaking. Why do you love or appreciate that thing? In the end, isn't there something that you find lovely or enjoyable about it? Whether its a spouse, a close friend, or pizza, the things we love are the things that appeal to us, that make us feel good, that are lovely to us.

Now consider the depth of Rom 5:8, "God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us". Brother, sister, friend, God loves the unlovely. God loves what would make him vomit, would make him turn away in disgust, would make him weep. We don't really know that kind of love, but we can see it in the cross.

In the end, the grace of Christ is incredibly amazing. It is amazing in what it accomplishes. It is amazing in what is secures. It is amazing in what it overcomes. It is amazing in what it endures.

And, it is amazing in that it is given at all.

To God Alone be the Glory.