1 Peter 4:19
"Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."
In my last blog we saw that Romans 8:28 is promise that all things will work for our good, including evil and suffering. I want to meditate a bit more on how suffering is actually a means of grace in our lives designed for our good. This verse says two important things about suffering. One, that suffering is according to the sovereign plan of God; two, that faith is what empowers us to endure suffering and still do good.
Suffering is probably the best way to show how strong our faith really is. It tests how much we really trust God. People who are strong in their faith endure suffering with joy, because they know that all things work together for good for those who are in Christ.
Paul prayed to God three times that He would remove the thorn in his flesh, but God chose to leave it there, in order to teach Paul a lesson. When we experience periods of suffering, we need to see that God, in his mysterious, sovereign way, may be trying to teach us something through our suffering.
Faith is what gives us the power to endure. But not only does faith empower us to endure suffering, it gives us the ability to endure with joy. But how? By trusting in the sovereign grace of God. Look at Hebrews 11:24-26:
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Do you see it? He considered the reproach of Christ (suffering) better than riches in Egypt. How? He was looking to the reward. He trusted in the sovereign grace of God.
Look at Hebrews 12:1-2:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured the worst kind of suffering possible: He absorbed the wrath of God for sin. What motivated him to endure such suffering? The joy that was set before him! Jesus considered the joy of being seated at the right hand of the Father far greater than the suffering he endured on the cross.
God designs suffering for our own good, but is that His ultimate purpose? No. The ultimate purpose for our suffering is found in 1 Peter 4:16:
"Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."
The ultimate purpose for suffering is to glorify God. We do this by enduring suffering with joy because of our faith in Jesus as all-satisfying and the future grace of eternity with Him. This brings honor to God because it highlights His self-sufficiency and our utter dependence on Him.
I want to note that the truth of God sovereignly working all things including suffering for our good and our joy and his working all things for His glory are not at odds. Both are by design. But we must take care never to make our joy more ultimate than God's glory. Both are being accomplished through God's sovereignty, but they are not on the same level. God's glory is ultimate, and not our joy, because God is ultimate, not man. Our joy must be placed under the rubric of God's glory. That is not to say, however, that they are not interrelated. John Piper says it best: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Are you experiencing a time of suffering? Perhaps God is trying to teach you that you need to trust that He is in control. Maybe He’s teaching you to be patient. Or maybe He wants you to learn to endure suffering with joy by trusting in His sovereign grace. Whatever His plan, know that all things, including suffering, our designed for good for those who are in Christ. If you have embraced Jesus as Lord and Savior, all suffering in your life is for your own good. What a glorious truth!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Romans 8:28
One of the most precious promises of the Bible to me is found in Romans 8:28. I would like to spend just a few minutes unpacking why this verse is so precious to me and so many other Christians worldwide. This is what Romans 8:28 says:
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
The Conditions of the Promise
The first thing we need to see are the conditions of this promise, found in the second half of the verse. There are two conditions for God to work all things for your good: love God and be called according to his purpose.
So what does it mean to be called? In the New Testament, every time this type of call is mentioned it refers to an inward call of God. This call is the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual that opens their eyes to the light of the gospel and causes them to see Jesus for who he truly is. It is the bringing to life of a dead soul, like the call of Jesus "Lazarus, come forth." Or in other words, it is being "born again." This new birth produces saving faith – which leads us to our second condition: love God.
What does it mean to love God? It does not mean you meet God's needs. God is self-sufficient. It does not mean you love his gifts. That would mean loving gifts above Giver. What then is the essence of love for God? John Piper has defined loving God with descriptions like these: Loving God is treasuring Him above all things. Loving God is delighting in Him more than anything. Loving God is seeing and savoring Him above everything. He sums up all these in one sentence: the essence of love for God is being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus.
Therefore, loving God and being called according to his purpose are the two conditions that must be met for this promise to be true for you. This is great news. Yes, I said great news. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith, and that our faith itself is a gift from God. This goes hand-in-hand with what I've just said. In order to love God, you must have faith. How do you come to faith? God opens your eyes to the glory of the gospel through His inward call, and you respond in faith. Meeting the conditions of this promise is simple because God does the work in your life that enables you to meet the conditions. This is great news!
The Outworking of the Promise
So then, the first part of this verse is what contains the precious promise that I treasure so much: that all things work together for good. This does not mean that all things are good or that they work out for good by themselves. Not at all! Rather, our sovereign, omnipotent God is in His providence working all things for good. God works all things – good or evil, times of health and ease or times of suffering – all things work for good.
One great example of this promise at work is found in the Old Testament story of Joseph. If you recall Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to some Ishmaelites who then sold him into Egypt. Over time through God's providence he was made second in command. When God struck the land with famine Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for food, and eventually Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. At the end of the story, Joseph's brothers are fearful of Joseph because of what they did to him years before, but Joseph tells them not to fear, and then says in Genesis 50:24: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Joseph endured all kinds of suffering early in his life, but trusted that God was working all things for his own good. God worked through the evil intentions of Joseph's brothers to save the life of Joseph and his family as well as countless others from severe famine.
Another great example of God working through evil and suffering to accomplish good is found in the death of Christ on the cross. The murder of the Son of God was the most heinous crime ever committed – yet God planned it from eternity past to be the means by which your sins and my sins could be atoned for. This is so important for us to grasp: God didn't just bring good out of the evil of the cross and the slavery of Joseph; he planned it from the beginning.
The Implications of the Promise
So what are some of the implications of this glorious promise?
First of all, there may be some of you reading this that have not met the conditions mentioned before. You may be thinking "I'm not satisfied with all that God is for me in Jesus. I don't treasure Him above everything. I don't desire the things of the Spirit. I've been living for myself. I don't desire God." If this is true of you, then you have no claim on this promise. That's a frightening thought: that God is not working all things for your good. Therefore, I implore you to please pray the promise of Deuteronomy 30:6, "God change my heart so that I can love you with all my being, and live for you, and all things will work together for my good."
For the believer then, how do you live out the truth that God is working everything for your good? What I hope you hear in Romans 8:28 is a liberating call to God-glorifying, on fire obedience in the cause of Christ. If all things work together for your good, then you can never be ultimately defeated. If God is for you, who can be against you? No one! This promise is a call to follow Christ no matter what it costs, because everything will work for your good.
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
The Conditions of the Promise
The first thing we need to see are the conditions of this promise, found in the second half of the verse. There are two conditions for God to work all things for your good: love God and be called according to his purpose.
So what does it mean to be called? In the New Testament, every time this type of call is mentioned it refers to an inward call of God. This call is the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual that opens their eyes to the light of the gospel and causes them to see Jesus for who he truly is. It is the bringing to life of a dead soul, like the call of Jesus "Lazarus, come forth." Or in other words, it is being "born again." This new birth produces saving faith – which leads us to our second condition: love God.
What does it mean to love God? It does not mean you meet God's needs. God is self-sufficient. It does not mean you love his gifts. That would mean loving gifts above Giver. What then is the essence of love for God? John Piper has defined loving God with descriptions like these: Loving God is treasuring Him above all things. Loving God is delighting in Him more than anything. Loving God is seeing and savoring Him above everything. He sums up all these in one sentence: the essence of love for God is being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus.
Therefore, loving God and being called according to his purpose are the two conditions that must be met for this promise to be true for you. This is great news. Yes, I said great news. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith, and that our faith itself is a gift from God. This goes hand-in-hand with what I've just said. In order to love God, you must have faith. How do you come to faith? God opens your eyes to the glory of the gospel through His inward call, and you respond in faith. Meeting the conditions of this promise is simple because God does the work in your life that enables you to meet the conditions. This is great news!
The Outworking of the Promise
So then, the first part of this verse is what contains the precious promise that I treasure so much: that all things work together for good. This does not mean that all things are good or that they work out for good by themselves. Not at all! Rather, our sovereign, omnipotent God is in His providence working all things for good. God works all things – good or evil, times of health and ease or times of suffering – all things work for good.
One great example of this promise at work is found in the Old Testament story of Joseph. If you recall Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to some Ishmaelites who then sold him into Egypt. Over time through God's providence he was made second in command. When God struck the land with famine Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for food, and eventually Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. At the end of the story, Joseph's brothers are fearful of Joseph because of what they did to him years before, but Joseph tells them not to fear, and then says in Genesis 50:24: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Joseph endured all kinds of suffering early in his life, but trusted that God was working all things for his own good. God worked through the evil intentions of Joseph's brothers to save the life of Joseph and his family as well as countless others from severe famine.
Another great example of God working through evil and suffering to accomplish good is found in the death of Christ on the cross. The murder of the Son of God was the most heinous crime ever committed – yet God planned it from eternity past to be the means by which your sins and my sins could be atoned for. This is so important for us to grasp: God didn't just bring good out of the evil of the cross and the slavery of Joseph; he planned it from the beginning.
The Implications of the Promise
So what are some of the implications of this glorious promise?
First of all, there may be some of you reading this that have not met the conditions mentioned before. You may be thinking "I'm not satisfied with all that God is for me in Jesus. I don't treasure Him above everything. I don't desire the things of the Spirit. I've been living for myself. I don't desire God." If this is true of you, then you have no claim on this promise. That's a frightening thought: that God is not working all things for your good. Therefore, I implore you to please pray the promise of Deuteronomy 30:6, "God change my heart so that I can love you with all my being, and live for you, and all things will work together for my good."
For the believer then, how do you live out the truth that God is working everything for your good? What I hope you hear in Romans 8:28 is a liberating call to God-glorifying, on fire obedience in the cause of Christ. If all things work together for your good, then you can never be ultimately defeated. If God is for you, who can be against you? No one! This promise is a call to follow Christ no matter what it costs, because everything will work for your good.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Luke 7:36-50 - Forgiveness
This was the message I prepared for my missions trip to Shepherd's Home in Wisconsin.
Our theme this week is forgiveness. We'll begin by looking at one instance where Christ forgave, and then reflect on how we should forgive others.
Luke 7:36-50
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it."
41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."
And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
A Debt Forgiven
So what do we have going on in this passage? Jesus has been invited to eat in the home of a Pharisee. Then this sinful woman, after finding out where Jesus was eating, interrupts the meal by washing His feet with her tears, kissing His feet and then pouring the fragrant oil that she had brought with her on His feet. The man who has invited Jesus to eat with him is now astonished. He begins asking himself, "If Jesus really is a Prophet, he would know how sinful this woman is." So now he is thinking that Jesus isn't really who he says he is. But look at verse 40. "And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." Jesus prepares to answer the question that Simon had been asking himself. What was Simon's reaction? Look again. "So he said, 'Teacher, say it.'" Pay close attention to what Jesus says to Simon. "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
The first example of forgiveness in this passage is a story by Jesus involving debt. He tells of two people who had accumulated a lot of debt. One person's debt was five hundred denarii, or more than a year's pay. How many of you would like to work over a year just to pay off a debt? The other person's debt was fifty denarii, close to two months pay. Neither one was able to pay off their debt. But how did the creditor respond? He could have had both of them thrown in jail. Instead, what did he do? "And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both." This brings us to our definition of forgiveness: True forgiveness does not consider one person's sin in relation to another. If that was the case, then what would have likely happened in the story? The creditor would likely have forgiven the person who owned fifty denarii but punished the one who owed five hundred denarii. But that wasn't what happened. Why? Because the creditor demonstrated true forgiveness and did not take into account the sizes of each person's debt. Instead, he freely forgave both of them. I pray that we be like the creditor in this story. Too often we tend to say "Well, I just can't forgive him. What he did was too terrible for me to forgive him." "I can't forgive her. How could she do such a thing? No! I won't forgive her!" True forgiveness works the opposite: Instead of counting sins, it freely forgives.
A Sinner Redeemed
Now let's look at the more immediate situation in the text between Jesus and the woman. After finishing his story about the debts, Jesus asks Simon a question. Look at verse 42. "'Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?' Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.'"
Remember that this woman was well-known by everyone for her many sins. Why then did she do all these things for Jesus? What caused her to act so humbly? There's a clue in verse 37. "And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil." Do you see it? When she found out where Jesus was eating, she grabbed her flask of oil and went to see Jesus. She didn't even have to think twice about it. "Jesus is eating at Simon's? Oh, I need to go see Him!" And she washes His feet with her tears, and kisses them, and anoints His feet with the oil she had brought with her. Why did she do all this? There was something about Jesus that caused her to do these things. Look at verse 46. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much." The woman came to see Jesus because she loved him. That's what moved her to Simon's house. Look at verse 50. "Then He said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." So her love for Jesus is what drove her to be near Him. What was the result? Look at verse 48. "Then He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'" The woman was forgiven because of her faith in Jesus, and Christ truly forgave her. He didn't count how many sins she had done in the past. He freely forgave her because of her faith. This brings us to a very important conclusion: Faith in Christ is the only way to true forgiveness for our sins. There's no other way.
Conclusion
Why then should we forgive others? The answer is simple. We should forgive others because Christ forgave us. The woman that was forgiven loved Christ much, because her sins were many. Guess what? All of your sins and all of my sins are as many as the stars in the sky. And for those who are believers Christ has forgiven every single one of those sins. Since Christ, like the creditor with the two debts, has forgiven our non-repayable sins, we should forgive others in the same way. Remember that true forgiveness doesn't measure the sin, but freely forgives. I pray that we would all freely forgive each other because of how much Christ has forgiven us.
Our theme this week is forgiveness. We'll begin by looking at one instance where Christ forgave, and then reflect on how we should forgive others.
Luke 7:36-50
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it."
41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."
And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
A Debt Forgiven
So what do we have going on in this passage? Jesus has been invited to eat in the home of a Pharisee. Then this sinful woman, after finding out where Jesus was eating, interrupts the meal by washing His feet with her tears, kissing His feet and then pouring the fragrant oil that she had brought with her on His feet. The man who has invited Jesus to eat with him is now astonished. He begins asking himself, "If Jesus really is a Prophet, he would know how sinful this woman is." So now he is thinking that Jesus isn't really who he says he is. But look at verse 40. "And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." Jesus prepares to answer the question that Simon had been asking himself. What was Simon's reaction? Look again. "So he said, 'Teacher, say it.'" Pay close attention to what Jesus says to Simon. "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
The first example of forgiveness in this passage is a story by Jesus involving debt. He tells of two people who had accumulated a lot of debt. One person's debt was five hundred denarii, or more than a year's pay. How many of you would like to work over a year just to pay off a debt? The other person's debt was fifty denarii, close to two months pay. Neither one was able to pay off their debt. But how did the creditor respond? He could have had both of them thrown in jail. Instead, what did he do? "And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both." This brings us to our definition of forgiveness: True forgiveness does not consider one person's sin in relation to another. If that was the case, then what would have likely happened in the story? The creditor would likely have forgiven the person who owned fifty denarii but punished the one who owed five hundred denarii. But that wasn't what happened. Why? Because the creditor demonstrated true forgiveness and did not take into account the sizes of each person's debt. Instead, he freely forgave both of them. I pray that we be like the creditor in this story. Too often we tend to say "Well, I just can't forgive him. What he did was too terrible for me to forgive him." "I can't forgive her. How could she do such a thing? No! I won't forgive her!" True forgiveness works the opposite: Instead of counting sins, it freely forgives.
A Sinner Redeemed
Now let's look at the more immediate situation in the text between Jesus and the woman. After finishing his story about the debts, Jesus asks Simon a question. Look at verse 42. "'Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?' Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.'"
Remember that this woman was well-known by everyone for her many sins. Why then did she do all these things for Jesus? What caused her to act so humbly? There's a clue in verse 37. "And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil." Do you see it? When she found out where Jesus was eating, she grabbed her flask of oil and went to see Jesus. She didn't even have to think twice about it. "Jesus is eating at Simon's? Oh, I need to go see Him!" And she washes His feet with her tears, and kisses them, and anoints His feet with the oil she had brought with her. Why did she do all this? There was something about Jesus that caused her to do these things. Look at verse 46. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much." The woman came to see Jesus because she loved him. That's what moved her to Simon's house. Look at verse 50. "Then He said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." So her love for Jesus is what drove her to be near Him. What was the result? Look at verse 48. "Then He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'" The woman was forgiven because of her faith in Jesus, and Christ truly forgave her. He didn't count how many sins she had done in the past. He freely forgave her because of her faith. This brings us to a very important conclusion: Faith in Christ is the only way to true forgiveness for our sins. There's no other way.
Conclusion
Why then should we forgive others? The answer is simple. We should forgive others because Christ forgave us. The woman that was forgiven loved Christ much, because her sins were many. Guess what? All of your sins and all of my sins are as many as the stars in the sky. And for those who are believers Christ has forgiven every single one of those sins. Since Christ, like the creditor with the two debts, has forgiven our non-repayable sins, we should forgive others in the same way. Remember that true forgiveness doesn't measure the sin, but freely forgives. I pray that we would all freely forgive each other because of how much Christ has forgiven us.
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