If you have ever driven in heavy fog and then had the fog lift, you will know something of what I have experienced concerning my salvation as I have come to see it in light of God's sovereign work. For years, it has been as though I was looking at pieces of a puzzle spread out on a table. I could never get the pieces to fit so they would provide a clear picture of what happened when I was saved. When it comes to putting a puzzle together, I have found that if I first build a framework using the straight edged pieces then I can fit the other pieces together and complete the puzzle. It also helps to have all the pieces and for all the pieces to be the proper ones. There were deficiencies in all these areas for me - no framework, missing pieces and pieces that didn't belong. The framework that was missing was the sovereignty of God. Once that was in place, things took shape and finally made sense. Also once I got rid of pieces that did not belong things began to come together. Tuesday morning at the men's Bible study, our pastor referred to Job's statement in Job 42:5. I needed to hear that verse because it explains what has happened in my life. After being confronted with God's sovereignty, Job said, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” Over the years I heard more than I saw. I heard by the hearing of the ear and the source of that hearing was not always correct. However, as God began to confront me with His sovereignty in my salvation, what I saw was Him. I saw Him as the sovereign Lord of my salvation. When I finally turned to God and grappled with the truth of His Word and stopped listening to other voices, a very remarkable thing happened - at least from my perspective. I saw Him as I had seen Him in those critical moments in the summer of 1946 when He called me and I reached out to Jesus. It was like that summer all over again. Actually it was even greater because what I was now seeing was filled with more content and depth.
I know that what I heard as a nine year old boy in those life changing moments was God calling me through His Word and opening my heart, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the realities of His gift of grace, Jesus Christ. God's Word was made alive in my heart. John 3:16 became more than words. Through the years, as I have tried to understand my salvation, it became more and more like I was looking at scattered pieces of a puzzle. I would add more pieces; but I could not get them to fit. I could not find a sense of peace. Once the pieces were assembled within the framework of God's sovereignty an awesome picture began to emerge - one that has always been there - it was just jumbled. I see Christ dying in my place. I see Christ, as my substitute, paying the price of my sins, to accomplish perfect righteousness and remove me from the wrath of God. I see His burial and His resurrection after three days in the tomb whereby He accomplished victory over death and earned for me a new life just like His. I see me sharing in that burial and resurrection. I see a living hope or as Peter said in 1 Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." I see the One I came to know as a nine year old boy - I see the essence of eternal life. In John 17:3 Jesus said, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." For years the focus of my efforts to understand has been on me and what I supposedly did on my own. I thought that was where I was supposed to look. Over time that just scattered puzzle pieces even more. I was looking at the wrong life and in the wrong direction. It not only affected what I saw, it resulted in a loss of the sense of the goodness of the good news. The good news was slowly turning into words on a page. When the fog began to lift and the pieces of the picture started coming together that sense of goodness began to return. As long as I thought that the validity of my salvation pivoted on something I had initiated, life was being drained from the "living hope." It has been refreshing to once again reflect on that goodness. It has been a long time since I could do that.
It is refreshing to see that it was God who saved me and gave me faith. It is refreshing to see that the good news was the power of God for salvation - not something I initiated. Romans 1:16. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." It is refreshing to reflect upon the way God's grace was manifested. 2 Timothy 1:10. "...and which (God's grace) now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." It has been extremely refreshing to see that the issue of God's wrath was settled that summer of 1946. The more I struggled with my relationship to His wrath the more fear gripped my life over the possibility that I was still under His wrath. That is not conducive to experiencing the "living hope." It has been refreshing to read these words of Jesus in John 3:36 and find them very comforting. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." It has been refreshing to walk in the security that the good news brings. John 10:28. "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." I have been able to dwell on God's gift of life. Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." I have been able to rest in the truth that this new life is in Christ. 1 John 5:11. "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." I have be enabled to know that I have not believed in vain because it was not my doing. I have been able to find peace about the future because of the eternal dimensions of the good news. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. "Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." But most of all, the greatest thing that has come in all of this process of understanding is expressed in 2 Corinthians 4:4. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." God has made it possible for me, by the faith He has given me, to see the glory of Christ. Because of that I can say as did the psalmist in Psalm 118:21, "I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation." I know that I now must pursue the way that will make that a continuing reality in my life - that will make 2 Thessalonians 1:12 true. "...so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
It is good news in another sense because by it I have gained new understanding of what happened in my life during the summer of 1946. Through it God has enabled me see that it was His Spirit who brought me to the critical point expressed in John 1:12. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." It is comforting to say as one writer did, "I came because He drew me. I came because I was born again. He opened my eyes. He gave me ears to hear. He enabled me to taste and see that the Lord is good." God has opened my eyes. I want to keep seeing. He has given me ears to hear. I want to keep hearing. He has enabled me to see more than scattered pieces of a picture. I want to keep looking at the picture that has so long eluded me. I know there is more to see and hear and I want to continue this journey of discovery to that end for as long as God allows. But, there is something else that I see or rather sense at this point of the journey. What am I to do with this understanding and knowledge? Will it become a picture to hang on the walls of my mind and heart or will my mind and heart become enmeshed with that picture? What now? Will I just be passive and become like a sponge soaking up truth?
Some fear that by accepting God's sovereignty in salvation this will happen. Yet the more I have dwelt on these truths, the more I have found that just the opposite will be true. Job was certainly stirred. The Apostles were transformed and on the list could go. I believe it will stir us as well. I believe that the Holy Spirit will use this truth to put fire in a person's soul. I already sense that it will produce thankfulness. I know that thankfulness will grow the more I come to grips with the awesome depth, breadth and height of God's grace, love and provision for salvation. That kind of thankfulness will not leave you passive. It will either drive you to faithful living or it will make you very uncomfortable when you are not fulfilling the priestly responsibilities of faithful obedience. Peter recognized that we were not saved to be passive. In 1 Peter 2:9, he said "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." It has been easy for me to see the "chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people for his own possession" part and miss the "that you may proclaim" part. I know I have missed it. I have taught that verse; but I have missed it in my heart. I have also missed seeing that in order to "proclaim the excellencies of him who called you" you need to see those excellencies.
As I have experienced peace over what God has done in my life these last months in enabling me to understand the extent of His sovereign action in my salvation, I have been reminded that there is still a world of people who know nothing of the peace and reconciliation that comes through Jesus Christ. There are people still under the wrath of God and people who are living without assurance that they have been removed from that wrath. I am now left with other questions to consider. Will I be content to sit in the comfort and peace of my salvation or will I live out the good news that brought me that peace? Did God give me understanding concerning the gift of salvation that I have long sought so that I can just be content within myself? Will Christ be so desirable in my life that I can't stand it if He is not desirable in the lives of others? Will I be content to be silent when I have knowledge of the only thing that will set people free? Acts 13:38-39 says, "Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." At this juncture of my life, will proclaiming this truth, in word and deed be a driving force? Will I be willing to do all that I can to avoid being a barren branch?
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Why Did I Come To Jesus Christ in Faith? (Part 5)
One of the greatest changes in my thinking - a change that has helped me realize why I came to Jesus in faith - concerns the matter of faith and repentance. It is profound; yet simple. I didn't start the process. It was part of God's grace. In Ephesians 2:4-10, Paul says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." How could I have missed seeing this truth - "...even when we were dead in our trespasses (He) made us alive together with Christ..." and not see that God had to do something in my life before I could respond in faith? Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:7-8, "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” That verse seems inconsistent with the idea that my response of faith brought the new birth.
However, when I put faith on the other side of "made alive" and "born again" things started to make sense. The dark shadows that have hung over my life for so long began to lift. It was an astounding thing to suddenly realize that IT WAS NOT ME. My response of faith really was the evidence of the new birth - not the cause. I realize now that I should have wrestled with John 6:37-40 and verses like these a lot sooner. Over the years, I would start and then back away. It has been a source of peace to listen to those words that Jesus spoke. "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus clearly ruled out the idea that I could start the process. In John 6:44, He said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."
It now seems plain that the new birth (regeneration) was and is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and that comes before any act of saving faith. One noted writer has said, the "cry of faith is the first sound a new born babe in Christ makes. We do not get God to bring regeneration by trusting Christ; we trust Christ because He has done it to us already." Because of God's work in regenerating my life, I could make a personal response that I had to make and was then free to make. The personal response that I made was the result of being acted upon by God. It was a response that was absolutely essential to receiving the salvation that Jesus obtained for me on the cross. It enabled me to repent and turn from sin to grace - all because of grace.
Some might try to explain that God's work in my life was based on His prior knowledge of my choice. He certainly knew the choice I would make. But as far as I am concerned, that explanation is a product of human reasoning trying to deal with God's sovereignty in salvation, the ramifications of election, predestination, calling and the secret counsels of God. There is still much that God has not explained when it comes to the outworking of His sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation. I am content with that and satisfied with verses like Deuteronomy 29:29. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." I am satisfied to know that I am saved; that He calls me by a new name and that He makes all things new. Scripture is very clear that neither I nor anyone else can come to Jesus unless drawn by God. He says in John 6:65, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father." This is a troubling thought for some people. They struggle with it. Jesus recognized that some would take issue. He began the explanation in John 6:61-65 by asking, "Do you take offense at this?" Many do take offense. It has been and is the center of much debate and personal attacks. That saddens me. It is not my intention to join the debate in writing about these difficult areas. I am simply explaining how that truth has impacted my life. I don't have to understand or explain how God works all of this out. What overwhelms me is to realize that had God not been sovereign in my salvation, I would have been lost for eternity. It certainly leaves me without room to boast or feel proud that for reasons beyond my understanding, God called me and enabled me to have faith. Contrary to what some might argue, this view does not in any way lessen my views on the importance of evangelism and missions. In fact, it has just the opposite affect. I know that it, unlike any other view, gives me a real reason to pray for the lost - to pray that God would break down their resistance and show them how sinful and hopelessly lost they are without Jesus - just as He did for me. Because of God's sovereignty in salvation, I can ask Him to give the lost a new heart and open their eyes. I can pray that He would make His grace irresistible. I can pray that God would pursue them and overwhelm them with His glory. The truth of the Spirit's sovereignty gives me real motivation to witness in the face of seemingly impossible situations. I firmly understand why a simple verse like John 3:16 can open the door to salvation and how it can happen when God makes one's heart alive.
I remember that moment when God began to act upon me. It was like a tugging at my heart. I remember the faint longing to come to Jesus and be forgiven. I remember how that longing built with intensity. I pursued that longing and it made an eternity worth of difference. If a person has that spark and nothing more, don't back away. It is God acting upon your life. Run to Him. Take hold of Him. I did that. It opened a floodgate of grace. With that came right legal standing with God (justification); sonship (adoption); the right and ability (through faith, His Word and the power of the Spirit) to be transformed into the likeness of Christ (sanctification). With that came the capacity and ability to keep going (perseverance). Finally, it meant that my ultimate destiny upon death would be to go to be with the Lord and receive a resurrection body (glorification).
Just think that behind these awesome truths is the gentle call of Jesus spoken so long ago and recorded for us in Matthew 11:28-30.
However, when I put faith on the other side of "made alive" and "born again" things started to make sense. The dark shadows that have hung over my life for so long began to lift. It was an astounding thing to suddenly realize that IT WAS NOT ME. My response of faith really was the evidence of the new birth - not the cause. I realize now that I should have wrestled with John 6:37-40 and verses like these a lot sooner. Over the years, I would start and then back away. It has been a source of peace to listen to those words that Jesus spoke. "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus clearly ruled out the idea that I could start the process. In John 6:44, He said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."
It now seems plain that the new birth (regeneration) was and is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and that comes before any act of saving faith. One noted writer has said, the "cry of faith is the first sound a new born babe in Christ makes. We do not get God to bring regeneration by trusting Christ; we trust Christ because He has done it to us already." Because of God's work in regenerating my life, I could make a personal response that I had to make and was then free to make. The personal response that I made was the result of being acted upon by God. It was a response that was absolutely essential to receiving the salvation that Jesus obtained for me on the cross. It enabled me to repent and turn from sin to grace - all because of grace.
Some might try to explain that God's work in my life was based on His prior knowledge of my choice. He certainly knew the choice I would make. But as far as I am concerned, that explanation is a product of human reasoning trying to deal with God's sovereignty in salvation, the ramifications of election, predestination, calling and the secret counsels of God. There is still much that God has not explained when it comes to the outworking of His sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation. I am content with that and satisfied with verses like Deuteronomy 29:29. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." I am satisfied to know that I am saved; that He calls me by a new name and that He makes all things new. Scripture is very clear that neither I nor anyone else can come to Jesus unless drawn by God. He says in John 6:65, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father." This is a troubling thought for some people. They struggle with it. Jesus recognized that some would take issue. He began the explanation in John 6:61-65 by asking, "Do you take offense at this?" Many do take offense. It has been and is the center of much debate and personal attacks. That saddens me. It is not my intention to join the debate in writing about these difficult areas. I am simply explaining how that truth has impacted my life. I don't have to understand or explain how God works all of this out. What overwhelms me is to realize that had God not been sovereign in my salvation, I would have been lost for eternity. It certainly leaves me without room to boast or feel proud that for reasons beyond my understanding, God called me and enabled me to have faith. Contrary to what some might argue, this view does not in any way lessen my views on the importance of evangelism and missions. In fact, it has just the opposite affect. I know that it, unlike any other view, gives me a real reason to pray for the lost - to pray that God would break down their resistance and show them how sinful and hopelessly lost they are without Jesus - just as He did for me. Because of God's sovereignty in salvation, I can ask Him to give the lost a new heart and open their eyes. I can pray that He would make His grace irresistible. I can pray that God would pursue them and overwhelm them with His glory. The truth of the Spirit's sovereignty gives me real motivation to witness in the face of seemingly impossible situations. I firmly understand why a simple verse like John 3:16 can open the door to salvation and how it can happen when God makes one's heart alive.
I remember that moment when God began to act upon me. It was like a tugging at my heart. I remember the faint longing to come to Jesus and be forgiven. I remember how that longing built with intensity. I pursued that longing and it made an eternity worth of difference. If a person has that spark and nothing more, don't back away. It is God acting upon your life. Run to Him. Take hold of Him. I did that. It opened a floodgate of grace. With that came right legal standing with God (justification); sonship (adoption); the right and ability (through faith, His Word and the power of the Spirit) to be transformed into the likeness of Christ (sanctification). With that came the capacity and ability to keep going (perseverance). Finally, it meant that my ultimate destiny upon death would be to go to be with the Lord and receive a resurrection body (glorification).
Just think that behind these awesome truths is the gentle call of Jesus spoken so long ago and recorded for us in Matthew 11:28-30.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Friday, January 9, 2009
Why Did I Come To Jesus Christ in Faith? (Part 4)
When I turned to the truth that "salvation belongs to the Lord, I began to gain a new understanding and appreciation of what God had done in my life that summer of August 1946. Initially I had no understanding about my salvation beyond John 3:16. As time went by, what little I understand got buried by ideas that blurred or minimized the truth of God's sovereignty in salvation. As a result I could never find peace and assurance. The new life that God had given me became an effort at moral conformity. I paid a heavy price trying to measure up to prevailing ideas of what being a Christian meant. When I think about how my life unfolded, it is a miracle that I have been able to return to the place where I started and discover anything worthwhile.
It is a miracle that I have been able to re-examine my conversion. It is a miracle that I am now able to see the events of August 1946 in terms of God's sovereignty. A verse that describes the reason for the change is Isaiah 45:22. God says, "Turn to (look unto) me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." That was how salvation came to me that moment in summer of 1946. That is how understanding of that salvation finally came to me in the winter of 2009. I struggled in vain as long as my focus was on the idea that I somehow had initiated the process. Without realizing it, that understanding caused something that I never wanted. It put me in the place of God as Lord and Savior in salvation. I never really saw it that way until now. Until I looked to Him as the starting point for understanding and the source of my salvation, the foundation for my Christian life was as fragile as an eggshell. As a result, I experienced fear, insecurity and spiritual emptiness for a large part of my life. Even worse, this wrong focus kept me from fully seeing and experiencing the richness of the Gospel - Jesus Christ. I didn't understand that this initial life saving look was meant to be a life long and intense look.
The way out of this quagmire has been to go back to the summer of 1946 and seek to correctly understand what happened. It has been a unique experience. I have been reminded of something that happened when I was in the tenth grade that, in a way, describes what I have experienced. In the tenth grade, I came to realize at the expense of a poor test grade that I could not see the questions that had been written on the blackboard. I initially thought I was sitting too far back in the class. Confounding the problem was the fact that I was not permitted to move closer to the blackboard. As it turned out, I needed glasses. I still remember looking through my first pair of eyeglasses and clearly seeing the leaves on trees. Until then much of what I saw was just a blur. That is what my spiritual vision has been like when it came to my salvation. What I am now seeing as I look through the lens of God's sovereignty is even more dramatic. For the first time, I have been able to look at my response of faith in proper alignment to the new birth. I have been able to understand why I came to Jesus Christ in faith.
I know my response of faith was not the result of a spark of human capacity being ignited. There were, of course, human factors used by God - like the faithfulness of my parents to the Lord and His Word, their word of witness to me and the Sunday School teachers who faithfully presented Scriptures like John 3:16. There were the human factors of prayers - especially those of my parents. I am thankful that they believed in the power of the Gospel unto salvation and in the power of the proclamation of the Gospel as well as the need to proclaim that Gospel to me. I don't recall them specifically articulating those beliefs; but, in looking back at their lives and the way they witnessed to me, I know those beliefs were real and true. I never realized until recently as I have reviewed their witness in my life just how strongly they did believe in the power of the Gospel and the proclamation of that Gospel - how strongly they believed in backing that up with prayer. They also believed in the witness of godly lives. That did not go unnoticed. It took awhile to really see how God used that in my life. Whether they fully realized it or not, my parents had committed my eternal destiny to nothing more than the power of God, His Word and the simple proclamation of a little verse like John 3:16. They had committed my eternal destiny to God's sovereignty and it was by the sovereign act of God that I was brought to faith. In a sermon, entitled "Free Grace," delivered 150 years ago on January 9, 1859, Charles Surgeon summed it up. He said,
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
It is a miracle that I have been able to re-examine my conversion. It is a miracle that I am now able to see the events of August 1946 in terms of God's sovereignty. A verse that describes the reason for the change is Isaiah 45:22. God says, "Turn to (look unto) me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." That was how salvation came to me that moment in summer of 1946. That is how understanding of that salvation finally came to me in the winter of 2009. I struggled in vain as long as my focus was on the idea that I somehow had initiated the process. Without realizing it, that understanding caused something that I never wanted. It put me in the place of God as Lord and Savior in salvation. I never really saw it that way until now. Until I looked to Him as the starting point for understanding and the source of my salvation, the foundation for my Christian life was as fragile as an eggshell. As a result, I experienced fear, insecurity and spiritual emptiness for a large part of my life. Even worse, this wrong focus kept me from fully seeing and experiencing the richness of the Gospel - Jesus Christ. I didn't understand that this initial life saving look was meant to be a life long and intense look.
The way out of this quagmire has been to go back to the summer of 1946 and seek to correctly understand what happened. It has been a unique experience. I have been reminded of something that happened when I was in the tenth grade that, in a way, describes what I have experienced. In the tenth grade, I came to realize at the expense of a poor test grade that I could not see the questions that had been written on the blackboard. I initially thought I was sitting too far back in the class. Confounding the problem was the fact that I was not permitted to move closer to the blackboard. As it turned out, I needed glasses. I still remember looking through my first pair of eyeglasses and clearly seeing the leaves on trees. Until then much of what I saw was just a blur. That is what my spiritual vision has been like when it came to my salvation. What I am now seeing as I look through the lens of God's sovereignty is even more dramatic. For the first time, I have been able to look at my response of faith in proper alignment to the new birth. I have been able to understand why I came to Jesus Christ in faith.
I know my response of faith was not the result of a spark of human capacity being ignited. There were, of course, human factors used by God - like the faithfulness of my parents to the Lord and His Word, their word of witness to me and the Sunday School teachers who faithfully presented Scriptures like John 3:16. There were the human factors of prayers - especially those of my parents. I am thankful that they believed in the power of the Gospel unto salvation and in the power of the proclamation of the Gospel as well as the need to proclaim that Gospel to me. I don't recall them specifically articulating those beliefs; but, in looking back at their lives and the way they witnessed to me, I know those beliefs were real and true. I never realized until recently as I have reviewed their witness in my life just how strongly they did believe in the power of the Gospel and the proclamation of that Gospel - how strongly they believed in backing that up with prayer. They also believed in the witness of godly lives. That did not go unnoticed. It took awhile to really see how God used that in my life. Whether they fully realized it or not, my parents had committed my eternal destiny to nothing more than the power of God, His Word and the simple proclamation of a little verse like John 3:16. They had committed my eternal destiny to God's sovereignty and it was by the sovereign act of God that I was brought to faith. In a sermon, entitled "Free Grace," delivered 150 years ago on January 9, 1859, Charles Surgeon summed it up. He said,
"If thou be saved, thou hast had nought to do with it; God has done it. If thou be saved, thou hast not deserved it. It is mercy undeserved which thou hast received."
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Thursday, January 8, 2009
You Call Me By A New Name
Betty and I are members of The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas. One of the songs we sing there is entitled "Restoration." It was written by David Brymer. Our worship leader, Michael Bleecker, introduced the song to us a short time ago. It is one of the most moving songs we have heard in a long time. I referred to the song in an earlier post because of the impact that it has had on my life - particularly the words used in the title of this post. Because of the struggle that I have gone through concerning my salvation, this song has come to have a very special meaning. It may seem small to some, but to me, being able to sing those words and know deep within that they are true in my life is very significant. When you reach the point of wondering if your salvation is for real or was just something you had created and then have God bring you to the realization that it was real because He had done it, well, a song like that can be very moving. For me to say after years of struggle, "You call me by a new name" was to experience something very liberating. I could affirm that what God said and did in my life as a nine year old boy was true. I could praise Him for erasing the pain of many spiritually troubling years caused by not understanding that my salvation belonged to Him. The song has meaning because it expresses an amazing breakthrough and transformation in a person's life - including mine. It affirms, in a moving way, the truth that God does indeed bring restoration. He does make all things new - not just in our initial salvation but along the way when, for whatever reason, the joy and assurance of that salvation gets stomped into the ground. I still have more to say about why I came to faith in Jesus Christ; but I wanted to take a brief rest in the journey and read these words,
and hear them sung.
"You bring restoration, You bring restoration, You bring restoration, to my soul. You've taken my pain and You call me by a new name. You've taken my shame and in its place, you give me joy. You take my mourning, turn it into dancing. You take my weeping, turn it into laughing. You take my mourning, turn it into dancing. You take my sadness, turn it into joy. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, You make all things new, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, You make all things new, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, You make all things new, all things new. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, You make all things new."
and hear them sung.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A Message for the New Year
Part of what I have experienced in this "Amen Journey" is expressed in the Scripture that is the basis for a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, "And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” This message by Charles Spurgeon is worth reading. He delivered that sermon on January 1, 1885. It is still a timely message for 2009. It is entitled "Sermon for New Year's Day."
May the words, "Behold, I make all things new" become true in our lives this year in ways we cannot fathom. Whatever situation we may face, we need to call out to Him in faith asking Him to "make all things new." Betty and I hope you enjoy this message. Happy New Year.
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
May the words, "Behold, I make all things new" become true in our lives this year in ways we cannot fathom. Whatever situation we may face, we need to call out to Him in faith asking Him to "make all things new." Betty and I hope you enjoy this message. Happy New Year.
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)