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The women’s Bible study group that I attend is embarking on a study in the gospel of John. We are using John MacArthur's study guide to aid us in our exploration of this glorious gospel account.
As you may already be aware, the gospel of John is the fourth gospel contained in the New Testament. Many people have asked over the years why there are four different gospels and not one composite. The answer is simple – each gospel presents a different depiction of Christ. In Matthew, for example, Jesus Christ is presented as the promised king and Messiah of Israel. Mark, on the other hand, portrays Christ as a servant/prophet and focuses a large portion of his account on Christ’s miracles. And when you come to Luke's gospel, Christ is described as the perfect man walking among the people of the world. Luke has a special focus on Christ’s humanity.
As we begin to investigage John’s account, we learn that his intent is to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This is the burden of John’s message as he states in 20:31, “These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that believing you might have life through His name.”
According to John MacArthur, when we come to the gospel of John, “we enter into the most sacred holy place of all, the holy of holies and we see God in person, God in flesh. And so the fourth gospel is the gospel of all gospels. It is the holy of holies of the New Testament. It is almost as if we ought to take off our shoes for we stand on holy ground as we approach this gospel because it presents in the most magnificent glory the deity of Jesus Christ. It talks about His humanity, it talks about His servant hood, it talks about His kingship, but it presents primarily His deity. It is behold your God that John is trying to get across.”
I must confess that even though I have been a Christian for more than 20 years, I realize that my own understanding of Christ is limited because I have not spent nearly enough time getting to know Him. As one woman said during our first meeting last night, “I want to know and understand Jesus beyond just my salvation.” And that really is the crux of our study. As Christians we are in a personal relationship with Jesus. We are not His followers because of what He can give or do for us but because of who He is.
Many people come to Jesus for what He can give and the scripture warns us that there would be a day coming when people would mistake gain for godliness (1 Timothy 6:5). I believe we are living in those days, especially in America. So much of what the church focuses on is what we can get from Christ instead of what is already ours in Him. So often the temporal cares of this world distract us from the one message God is always trying to get across – I am enough. Truly, He is enough.
I hope you will join me over the next few months as I study the gospel of John. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you are learning about Jesus.
“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” – Napoleon
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Mount Sinai or Mount Calvary?
In 1 John 1:9 we read the following statement in regards to how a Christian is to deal with sin in their lives, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I have come to realize over the years that the times in my life when I feel the most distant from the Lord or my prayers seem like they are rising no higher than my ceiling, are the very moments when I have unconfessed sin. This may seem rudimentary, but for a long time in my Christian walk I used to try to fill my life during “spiritual dry times” with more spiritual things or activities in an attempt to feel closer to God when in reality I needed to confess and repent of sin.
It is the sin battle that so often defeats us in our walk but John gives us the solution – just confess. Seems simple on the surface, doesn’t it? I have found that to practically live this verse is the most challenging aspect of my Christian life.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her profound book on revival called Seeking Him says that when we sin we immediately have two choices. We can go to Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments and try to live by the law in our own strength and self-righteousness or we can come to Mount Calvary and bring our sin to the foot of the cross and receive the forgiveness and victory over sin that is ours in Christ.
The Bible tells us that after Jesus rose from the grave He went and sat down at the right hand of the Father and is there today making intercession for us when we confess our sins (Romans 8:27). This is an amazing thought to comprehend. Jesus Christ is actively working on our behalf to apply his blood atonement sacrifice to our sins. All we have to do is confess them and repent or turn from our sinful behavior. Jesus Himself has already bore the penalty and the judgment for our sins. What a wonderful spiritual reality to contemplate and allow to shape our walk!
I heard a preacher once say that the key to a victorious Christian life is to keep short sin accounts with God. In other words, when we sin is the best time to confess our sin. I think the frustrating part is so often as soon as we confess the sin, we are committing it again. But still the scripture urges us to keep confessing because I believe the very act of coming before God and agreeing with Him that we have trespassed against His law is the only way we can achieve victory even if it takes time for the sin to be completely removed from our lives. This is why the confession part is the most critical.
When David sinned with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and then basically ordered to have her husband killed in the war by putting him on the front lines, he never confessed these sins before God. In fact, if not for the prophet Nathan coming to tell David that God was extremely upset over his sin, there is no reason to believe David would have ever confessed. This is a sobering thought given the scriptures tell us that David was a man who was after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). This is a prime example of the deadliness of unconfessed sin.
We have to always be on guard in our lives to ensure we are not deceived about sin and the best way to do this - the only way to do this - is to confess our sins daily before the Lord.
“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” - George MacDonald
I have come to realize over the years that the times in my life when I feel the most distant from the Lord or my prayers seem like they are rising no higher than my ceiling, are the very moments when I have unconfessed sin. This may seem rudimentary, but for a long time in my Christian walk I used to try to fill my life during “spiritual dry times” with more spiritual things or activities in an attempt to feel closer to God when in reality I needed to confess and repent of sin.
It is the sin battle that so often defeats us in our walk but John gives us the solution – just confess. Seems simple on the surface, doesn’t it? I have found that to practically live this verse is the most challenging aspect of my Christian life.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her profound book on revival called Seeking Him says that when we sin we immediately have two choices. We can go to Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments and try to live by the law in our own strength and self-righteousness or we can come to Mount Calvary and bring our sin to the foot of the cross and receive the forgiveness and victory over sin that is ours in Christ.
The Bible tells us that after Jesus rose from the grave He went and sat down at the right hand of the Father and is there today making intercession for us when we confess our sins (Romans 8:27). This is an amazing thought to comprehend. Jesus Christ is actively working on our behalf to apply his blood atonement sacrifice to our sins. All we have to do is confess them and repent or turn from our sinful behavior. Jesus Himself has already bore the penalty and the judgment for our sins. What a wonderful spiritual reality to contemplate and allow to shape our walk!
I heard a preacher once say that the key to a victorious Christian life is to keep short sin accounts with God. In other words, when we sin is the best time to confess our sin. I think the frustrating part is so often as soon as we confess the sin, we are committing it again. But still the scripture urges us to keep confessing because I believe the very act of coming before God and agreeing with Him that we have trespassed against His law is the only way we can achieve victory even if it takes time for the sin to be completely removed from our lives. This is why the confession part is the most critical.
When David sinned with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and then basically ordered to have her husband killed in the war by putting him on the front lines, he never confessed these sins before God. In fact, if not for the prophet Nathan coming to tell David that God was extremely upset over his sin, there is no reason to believe David would have ever confessed. This is a sobering thought given the scriptures tell us that David was a man who was after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). This is a prime example of the deadliness of unconfessed sin.
We have to always be on guard in our lives to ensure we are not deceived about sin and the best way to do this - the only way to do this - is to confess our sins daily before the Lord.
“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” - George MacDonald
Thursday, October 14, 2010
How to Pray
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been discussing prayer and how it has been the primary catalyst that has spawned every revival throughout history. I have also touched on the power of prayer in the life of the believer.
This week, I wanted to spend some time discussing how to pray or what we should be saying to God when we are alone in our prayer closet. Do not feel embarrassed or ashamed if you have come to this blog without a good understanding of how to pray. Many have asked this same question, including the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6. Jesus responded by giving them the Lord’s Prayer, which is also known as the “Our Father.”
This prayer that Jesus shared was not meant to be a ritualistic saying that would be recited verbatim daily to God but was given as the pattern for our prayer life. God Himself has said that He is not interested in the vain repetition of words (Matthew 6:7) but in our heart attitude toward Him when we pray.
John MacArthur has a wonderful series of messages on the Lord’s Prayer in which he breaks down the prayer line by line and explains how to incorporate each wonderful truth into your prayer life. I would highly recommend you spend some time reading these messages so you can better understand how the Lord Himself told us to approach the throne room of God.
I also wanted to mention that prayer by nature is designed to bring us into the presence of the Living God that we may be transformed by Him. Prayer should never be approached with the thought that God is some type of sugar daddy waiting to give us every want and desire as some so called Christian movements would have you to believe.
Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal that when God’s people prayed, they most often reminded God of His words and promises to His people. Very rarely do you find a man or woman of God in the Bible praying anything that was not somehow related to God's Word or nature. And this is why the relationship between prayer and God’s Word is so critical. The Word of God enables us to know the mind of God which then transforms our prayers into petitions that are in accordance with His will.
I have often thought of how many prayers God hears on a daily basis from unbelievers asking for protection, healing, finances, etc. While God does answer these requests at times from non-believers, he is not obligated to answer them. He is, however, obligated by His very Word to answer believers when they pray.
It is God Himself who has set up the institution of prayer. It is Him who commands us to pray unceasingly, fervently, and earnestly for all things. E.M. Bounds states in his book, The Weapon of Prayer, “Prayer puts God’s work in His hands, and keeps it there. It looks to Him constantly and depends on Him implicitly to further His own cause. Prayer is but faith resting in, acting with, and leaning on and obeying God. This is why God loves it so well, why He puts all power into its hands, and why He so highly esteems men of prayer.”
I truly believe the way to have a more fruitful prayer life is to immerse yourself in the Word of God. The two just cannot be divorced from each other. If you are trying to figure out where to begin, I would suggest you start with the Book of Psalms which is found in the Old Testament. The Psalms are songs and prayers to God. I often pray them myself to God when I find that I do not have any words of my own. Psalms 23 and 91 are wonderful Psalms that speak of God’s protection and sovereignty.
You could also read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John found at the beginning of the New Testament) if you want to know Jesus’ words so you can remember and recall them when you are praying. The more you know God’s Word, the more you will be able to effectively pray for God’s will in all things.
Please feel free to comment to let me know how your prayer life is progressing. I hope and pray that these last few blogs on prayer have been a blessing.
This week, I wanted to spend some time discussing how to pray or what we should be saying to God when we are alone in our prayer closet. Do not feel embarrassed or ashamed if you have come to this blog without a good understanding of how to pray. Many have asked this same question, including the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6. Jesus responded by giving them the Lord’s Prayer, which is also known as the “Our Father.”
This prayer that Jesus shared was not meant to be a ritualistic saying that would be recited verbatim daily to God but was given as the pattern for our prayer life. God Himself has said that He is not interested in the vain repetition of words (Matthew 6:7) but in our heart attitude toward Him when we pray.
John MacArthur has a wonderful series of messages on the Lord’s Prayer in which he breaks down the prayer line by line and explains how to incorporate each wonderful truth into your prayer life. I would highly recommend you spend some time reading these messages so you can better understand how the Lord Himself told us to approach the throne room of God.
I also wanted to mention that prayer by nature is designed to bring us into the presence of the Living God that we may be transformed by Him. Prayer should never be approached with the thought that God is some type of sugar daddy waiting to give us every want and desire as some so called Christian movements would have you to believe.
Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal that when God’s people prayed, they most often reminded God of His words and promises to His people. Very rarely do you find a man or woman of God in the Bible praying anything that was not somehow related to God's Word or nature. And this is why the relationship between prayer and God’s Word is so critical. The Word of God enables us to know the mind of God which then transforms our prayers into petitions that are in accordance with His will.
I have often thought of how many prayers God hears on a daily basis from unbelievers asking for protection, healing, finances, etc. While God does answer these requests at times from non-believers, he is not obligated to answer them. He is, however, obligated by His very Word to answer believers when they pray.
It is God Himself who has set up the institution of prayer. It is Him who commands us to pray unceasingly, fervently, and earnestly for all things. E.M. Bounds states in his book, The Weapon of Prayer, “Prayer puts God’s work in His hands, and keeps it there. It looks to Him constantly and depends on Him implicitly to further His own cause. Prayer is but faith resting in, acting with, and leaning on and obeying God. This is why God loves it so well, why He puts all power into its hands, and why He so highly esteems men of prayer.”
I truly believe the way to have a more fruitful prayer life is to immerse yourself in the Word of God. The two just cannot be divorced from each other. If you are trying to figure out where to begin, I would suggest you start with the Book of Psalms which is found in the Old Testament. The Psalms are songs and prayers to God. I often pray them myself to God when I find that I do not have any words of my own. Psalms 23 and 91 are wonderful Psalms that speak of God’s protection and sovereignty.
You could also read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John found at the beginning of the New Testament) if you want to know Jesus’ words so you can remember and recall them when you are praying. The more you know God’s Word, the more you will be able to effectively pray for God’s will in all things.
Please feel free to comment to let me know how your prayer life is progressing. I hope and pray that these last few blogs on prayer have been a blessing.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Prayer: Our Secret Weapon
Last week I had discussed the importance of prayer and its power to transform our lives and bring about revival. Incidentally, no revival ever took place that was not ignited first through persistent and heartfelt prayer. This week I wanted to take a look at what prayer accomplishes in the life of the believer.
As I had mentioned last week, prayer is our opportunity to commune directly with God. This relationship was made by possible by the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter six tells us that we war against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places and urges us to put on the whole armor of God daily. The armor has five pieces for defense and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) as our only offensive weapon but I would also suggest that prayer is our secret weapon.
In his profound but little known work, The Weapon of Prayer, E.M. Bounds says, “The most efficient agents in disseminating the knowledge of God, in prosecuting His work upon the earth, and in standing as a breakwater against the billows of evil, have been praying church leaders. God depends upon them, employs them, and blesses them.”
Leonard Ravenhill argues that even Satan “would rather have us increase in Bible knowledge as long as we keep from prayer, which is the exercise of the instruction we have received through the Word. What use is deeper knowledge if we have shallower hearts? What use is greater standing with men if we have less standing with God? … What use is religious piety if we have soul carnality? ... Who can take comfort in social popularity if he is unknown in hell? Prayer takes care of all these spiritual maladjustments.”
I believe that prayer is as vital to the spiritual man as breathing is to the physical man. Prayer is the great divider of those that claim to be spiritual versus those whose hearts beat in unison with the Living God.
Prayer also safeguards us against our two worst enemies – pride and pity. God is always trying to get us to a place where we are balanced right between pride and pity. He wants us to recognize our self worth in Him and boast as the Apostle Paul did in Him alone. But He also wants us to acknowledge our sin before Him with a broken and contrite heart so in our humility He can exalt us.
It is unfeasible to strike this balance without a consistent prayer life. I would also suggest that it is impossible to have a successful prayer life if we are not committed to the Word as it is through God’s Word that we know His mind and are able to have confidence in Him that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
I think for many Christians our prayer life is lacking because we simply do not believe God. We have lost confidence that our prayers are moving angels into action. Perhaps part of the reason is because God does not allow us to see everything He is doing when we pray. I heard a preacher say once that if he had been Daniel praying for God’s revelation, the answer would have been delayed three years instead of three weeks. That is a very depressing statement, but alas, it may be a reality for many of us.
It is within our power to change. If we are dry spiritually than let us pray for the living water that Jesus promised is ours in Him; if we are feeling like we are just going through the motions of our faith than let us pray for renewed passion; if we no longer witness to others because we are fearful of their reaction than let us pray for boldness. God is still faithful. His chief desire is it to revive His people. He is at the door knocking. Prayer is the key.
To make my weak heart strong and brave,
Send the fire.
To live a dying world to save, send the fire.
Oh, see me on thy altar lay
My life, my all, this very day;
To crown the offering now I pray:
Send the fire!
-F. de L. Booth-Tucker
As I had mentioned last week, prayer is our opportunity to commune directly with God. This relationship was made by possible by the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter six tells us that we war against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places and urges us to put on the whole armor of God daily. The armor has five pieces for defense and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) as our only offensive weapon but I would also suggest that prayer is our secret weapon.
In his profound but little known work, The Weapon of Prayer, E.M. Bounds says, “The most efficient agents in disseminating the knowledge of God, in prosecuting His work upon the earth, and in standing as a breakwater against the billows of evil, have been praying church leaders. God depends upon them, employs them, and blesses them.”
Leonard Ravenhill argues that even Satan “would rather have us increase in Bible knowledge as long as we keep from prayer, which is the exercise of the instruction we have received through the Word. What use is deeper knowledge if we have shallower hearts? What use is greater standing with men if we have less standing with God? … What use is religious piety if we have soul carnality? ... Who can take comfort in social popularity if he is unknown in hell? Prayer takes care of all these spiritual maladjustments.”
I believe that prayer is as vital to the spiritual man as breathing is to the physical man. Prayer is the great divider of those that claim to be spiritual versus those whose hearts beat in unison with the Living God.
Prayer also safeguards us against our two worst enemies – pride and pity. God is always trying to get us to a place where we are balanced right between pride and pity. He wants us to recognize our self worth in Him and boast as the Apostle Paul did in Him alone. But He also wants us to acknowledge our sin before Him with a broken and contrite heart so in our humility He can exalt us.
It is unfeasible to strike this balance without a consistent prayer life. I would also suggest that it is impossible to have a successful prayer life if we are not committed to the Word as it is through God’s Word that we know His mind and are able to have confidence in Him that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
I think for many Christians our prayer life is lacking because we simply do not believe God. We have lost confidence that our prayers are moving angels into action. Perhaps part of the reason is because God does not allow us to see everything He is doing when we pray. I heard a preacher say once that if he had been Daniel praying for God’s revelation, the answer would have been delayed three years instead of three weeks. That is a very depressing statement, but alas, it may be a reality for many of us.
It is within our power to change. If we are dry spiritually than let us pray for the living water that Jesus promised is ours in Him; if we are feeling like we are just going through the motions of our faith than let us pray for renewed passion; if we no longer witness to others because we are fearful of their reaction than let us pray for boldness. God is still faithful. His chief desire is it to revive His people. He is at the door knocking. Prayer is the key.
To make my weak heart strong and brave,
Send the fire.
To live a dying world to save, send the fire.
Oh, see me on thy altar lay
My life, my all, this very day;
To crown the offering now I pray:
Send the fire!
-F. de L. Booth-Tucker
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