Our singles event this month is on Saturday, February 28. We have the opportunity to participate again in a ministry called Bread of Life. Its main goals are to feed the poor and to share the gospel of Jesus with homeless people. You can find more information at the Bread of Life page.

Here are some reasons why it’s important for us to participate in this ministry:

• God is concerned with the poor. He gave commandments to make sure the poor had enough food (see Leviticus 19:9-10).
• Caring for the poor demonstrates our love for God (1 John 3:17; this verse primarily refers to the poor in the Church, I think, but we can also apply it to other poor people).
• Jesus became poor for us, so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul uses this as a motivation for the Corinthian church to give money to those in need. Giving to others is an ethical extension and illustration of the gospel.
• Jesus spent much of his time ministering to the poor. We follow in our Lord’s steps when we do the same.

I did a quick search for Bible verses on the poor, and found this page on the Bible and the poor. I never realized that the Bible talked so much about the poor and caring for the poor. Please look it over when you get a chance.

My heart here is for three things:

1. We glorify God when we care for the poor
2. The homeless people we’ll be feeding will benefit
3. This is a great opportunity to grow

The subtle love of comfort will often silently choke our spiritual growth. When we put this love to death by going to uncomfortable places, God often stretches us and grows our faith in ways that cannot happen through other means. I know that this is probably a scary outreach for many of you. Take heart, though–God’s promises to bless efforts like this are trustworthy! (Deuteronomy 15:10; Psalm 41:1) We serve a God who humbled Himself and became poor. He can help us in our anxiety and weakness and discomfort.

Tags: ethics, God, gospel, growth, homeless, outreach, poor, Sanctification, Scripture

You can now download the courtship message from last Saturday’s singles meeting. Right click and choose “Save As” to download it to your computer.

Note: The file size of the mp3 is around 72 MB.

Tags: courtship, dating, God, marriage, relationships, sermon, singles meeting, sovereignty, trusting God

I came to New Attitude 2008 with a tentative heart. The past year had been one of many changes in my life: moving back home after studying in England for four months, my sister getting married, moving in with her when my brother-in-law was deployed, then moving back in with my family after those 8 months, close friends leaving the church, and several other things weighing heavily on my heart that made me feel lost, forgotten, and just really unsure of what God was even doing in my life anymore.

I was excited about New Attitude, to get away from all of this confusion and to dive deep into God’s Word and learn how to better apply it to my life. I had been looking forward in particular to C.J. Mahaney’s message on “God’s Word and our Feelings” as I recognized that this troubled soul of mine needed to be addressed by Scripture. But in my pride, I was disappointed after that message, because I had heard it before, either from C.J.’s books or in other sermons. It wasn’t the “easy-one-step-solution-to-eradicating-your-feelings-of-depression” sermon that I guess I was hoping for.

But God mercifully did not leave me in my pride. At the end of the message, instead of individuals raising their hands, Joshua Harris had us pray in groups for everyone in the room. Here again, I was disappointed. “God, I know this is a good thing, to pray for others…but didn’t you have some sort of prophetic song for me, or something?” As I prayed, however, the Holy Spirit enabled me to get my eyes off of myself, and the words of truth that I prayed for others began to penetrate into my soul.

Afterward, a friend hugged me and I just started weeping. It was like the floodgates opened and I was able to truly let go of all turmoil I had been holding in heart. I didn’t know why that year had to be so hard—but God knew. I didn’t have to figure it all out or understand my heart—God did! And that was enough.

I was overwhelmed with the truth of the gospel. My soul sometimes feels crushed, but it never truly is. I feel forgotten at times, but my Lord was utterly abandoned so that I never have to face what I only think I’m facing in moments of depression. Christ fully bore the wrath of God that I deserved, and now I live in His righteousness!

Here is my hope and joy. Not in knowing God’s purpose for everything that happened that year—though now I do see fruit from it—but in the truth of the Cross. God gave me grace in that moment at New Attitude to stop listening to my troubled soul, and instead to start speaking the truth of God’s Word to it, as C.J. urged us to do.

It’s still a battle everyday, and I’ve enlisted the help of scholars and teachers such as D. Martin Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon. But it is worth it. It is absolutely worth it.

Truly, no matter what changes happen in my life I can always sing this unchanging truth: “Hallelujah, all I have is Christ. Hallelujah, Jesus is my life.”

Tags: bible, Charles Spurgeon, CJ Mahaney, conference, cross, D. Martin Lloyd Jones, depression, direction, fruit, God, gospel, grace, growth, guidance, maturity, New Attitude, Next, Scripture, self-talk, speaking the truth to yourself

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?

2 Samuel 12:7-9

God took David from being a shepherd and made him king over Israel. God blessed whatever David put his hand to. God gave David whatever he could have wanted. God’s attitude was one of giving and blessing. God even says that if all this wasn’t enough for David, He would have given David twice what He had already given!

As I reflected on this in my own life, I realized that I do not view God like this. I often dwell more on what God keeps from me than what He gives me. Does that mean God is not a giver in my case?

Let’s look at David’s situation. David wanted one thing that God was not pleased to give: the wife of one of David’s soldiers. God clearly forbids adultery. Does that make God stingy? Does that make God someone who withholds gifts from people? Of course not! God’s attitude to give is clearly illustrated in this passage. Just because God did not give David everything the he wanted, does not mean that God was in any way keeping blessings from David. When we read the rest of 2 Samuel 12, we see that God’s Law was designed to keep David out of the mess he got himself into.

So is God a giver in our case? Yes…but what about when we want something that He is not pleased to give us? Is God still a giver then? Yes, He is. He is still a giver every bit as much as He was for David. His heart is to bless us. We would do well to remember that when God does not give us something that we set our desires, hopes, or expectations on. Both you and I need to work to remember what God has done for us:

• He has given us new life.
• He gave His only Son to die for our sin.
• He has given us enough food and shelter to live.
• He does not deal with us as our sins deserve.
• He has given us friends.

God is a giver. Are we gracious and thankful receivers? I’d encourage you to fill this list out some. What has God given you that you have not given Him sufficient thanks for?

Tags: adultery, atonement, Bathsheba, blessing, David, God, grace, kindness, murder, thanksgiving

“The heavens declare the glory of God…”

Psalm 19:1

We have been talking about how we can change. The Bible says that we become like God when we “see” God. Of course, no one can really see God in this life and live (Exodus 33:20). Nevertheless, when we see God’s glory, it changes us.

Can we see God’s glory in His creation? Indeed we can. Scripture says,

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.

Romans 1:19-20

This is what is called “general revelation.” God reveals Himself to all people at all times in what He has made. We can learn certain things about God by looking at the works of His hands.

Karl Barth wrote a book entitled, No! The exclamation point was actually part of the title. I’m not kidding. His point? That God didn’t reveal Himself in nature. Barth is wrong here. Scripture clearly states that God shows Himself in His handiwork. Because He does, it is our task to study it as well as we can so we can learn about God. After all, we were created to know and glorify God!

So what can we learn? Romans 1 says we clearly discern God’s eternal power and divine nature. So clearly, in fact, that those who deny this have no excuse for doing so (Romans 1:19-20). Psalm 19 tells us that the skies show that God is glorious. Whenever we look at nature, we should see something of God there. If we do not, something is wrong with us. Perhaps we are not paying attention. We might not care like we should. We could even miss these lessons about God because we suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Take some time this week to look at the stars after night falls. Do you know how close the nearest star is? Just over four light years away! ¹ That means that it takes light four years to get from there to here. Let me help you realize the immensity of that distance. Light can travel all the way around the earth’s equator roughly eight times per second! 3600 seconds in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, 4 years. Get the picture? It’s rougly 24,937,736,300,000 miles away. ² And that star is our nearest neighbor. Our galaxy alone is 100,000 light years across. That’s 587,863,000,000,000,000 miles. Scientists estimate that there are 125,000,000,000 galaxies in the universe (and that was back in 1999). ³ If you do the math, the universe is HUGE!

God made all of this. What a testimony of His awesome power! Psalm 8 tells us that all of this is the work of His fingers. Finger work does not indicate hard labor! Creating the universe took absolutely no effort on God’s part. It didn’t wear Him out. God simply spoke, and the whole universe came to be.

We’ll look more at God’s glory in His creation at a microscopic level soon!

Tags: beholding, change, creation, glory, God

We’ve talked so far about seeing God’s glory as a means to change. We first need to state that no one here on earth can see God directly and live (see Exodus 33:18-23). God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). Only Jesus has seen the Father directly (John 6:46).

But we may still see a measure of God’s glory in this life. Before we look any more at the specific ways we can behold God’s glory, we first need to ask, “Does the Bible teach that beholding the glory of God produces personal change?” Let’s see what Scripture says.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared: but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

1 John 3:2

Beholding God is a means of becoming like God. But is this the only place Scripture teaches this? What does God say through Paul?

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

We also see this in the gospels when Jesus changed water into wine. Jesus’ disciples saw what he did. What effect did it have on them?

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

John 2:11

Jesus’ disciples believed in Him when they saw his glory. We know that miracles do not coerce faith. Someone can see a miracle and harden his or her heart. Nevertheless, seeing God’s glory in a miracle like the disciples did when Jesus turned water into wine can be a powerful means of growing in faith.

And who can forget Isaiah’s commission from the Lord?

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people…”

Isaiah 6:1-9

We see this kind of encounter with Jacob, Job, Peter, and many others. It was often a pivotal moment in their lives. Seeing God’s glory is a powerful way to become like Christ. It undergirds all other means of personal change. Let us pray and strive to behold God’s glory!

For personal reflection:

• How are you currently seeking to behold the glory of God?
• What practices can you take up to see His glory more clearly?
• Is there anything in your life that obscures your view of God’s glory? Any sin you are unwilling to give up? See Isaiah 59:1-2

Tags: faith, glory, God, gospels, Isaiah, John, means of grace, Paul, personal change, Sanctification, seeing, spiritual disciplines

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

John 5:44

Many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

John 12:42–43

I listened to a message by Dave Harvey today entitled, “Wired for Glory”. Dave challenges us to live for the glory that matters most—God’s. One part of the sermon really hit me, though.

I fear the opinions of others because I crave their approval. When I get it, I am elated. But even then, the satisfaction of this glory never lasts. When I do not get the approval of others, I become sullen, anxious, or discouraged. So I try harder to gain the treasure of others’ esteem. Some would call this people-pleasing. The Bible calls this idolatry. Why would it say such a thing? Dave Harvey explains:

We all know what it’s like to fear embarrassment, which is really only an excessive concern with how we’re being perceived by other people. And we’re like that at times, even as Christians, because it wins us what we most value.

I seek what I value most. Seeking praise from men instead of praise from God shows that I value praise from men more than praise from God. Stop reading for a second and let that sink in. That, friends, is the heart of idolatry. Idolatry is ascribing greater worth to anything besides God. We might not do this openly, but we do it in our hearts when we desire anything more than God.

There is a pattern that is always at work: valuing leads to seeking. It is not hard to find this pattern in the Bible. Turn to Matthew 13:44–46. What is the kingdom of God like? It is like a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. Here we see the man realizing the value of something. It is a treasure to him. Then he sold all he had and bought the field. Here we see the man seeking what he valued. He gave up everything to gain his treasure.

I seek the praise of men because I value the praise of men. When I seek this type of praise, I begin to fear what others think of me. Does this pattern show up in your life? The way you can tell what you value is by what you seek. How do you know if you seek the approval of others too much? Observe your response when others do not notice you, or when they are critical of you. Do you then become sullen? Do you become angry? Do you replay the scene in your mind over and over? Do you keep wishing you had said or done something different so that others would have thought more highly of you? You can also test your reaction when others do approve of you. Do you become excited? Do you feel satisfied? Do you give yourself credit, rather than credit God? Do you feel proud?

The remedy for the fear of man is to seek the glory that comes from God. But how do we come to seek the glory that comes from God? We value the glory that comes from God. But how do we do that?

We have left a step in the process out of our pattern. So far, we see that valuing leads to seeking. How do we come to value something? We behold it.

We value the approval of others because we behold it so regularly. That is the air we so often breathe in this culture and in our own lives. We can experience a change of values by beholding God’s glory. We see His glory in His world, His work, His Word, and His Son. I’ll write more about that soon!

Tags: change, fear of man, glory, God, Jesus, seeking, values

Here are a series of links to the books I listed in the last blog post, in case you read the post before I added links in. You can get an online version of the John Piper books for free at the Desiring God website. Several of these are also available in our church book nook. They’re probably cheaper there, and you don’t have to pay shipping. Be sure to check this Sunday. It’s even a good idea to set aside some money to buy books every year.

• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer
• God and Creation by Herman Bavinck
  Note: The Doctrine of God is an abridgement of this book.
• Desiring God by John Piper
  Read Desiring God online.
• The Pleasures of God by John Piper
  Read the first three chapters of The Pleasures of God online.
• Lost in the Middle by Paul David Tripp
• Depression by Ed Welch
• In Two Minds by Os Guinness
  Note: This is out of print. If you can’t find it used using that link, it has been re-released as God in the Dark.
• How Long, O Lord? by D. A. Carson

When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper is good, as well. You can read When I Don’t Desire God online.

Tags: Books, Christ, discouragement, doubt, encouragement, faith, God