A Picture of Repentance

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Jason

I think this is what the moment of repentance looks like:

Posted in Art, Devotional, Faith, Gospel, Kingdom Values, Repentance, Scripture | Leave a comment

Confession: Penitential Psalms

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Jason

There are many different types of psalms — psalms of praise, thanksgiving, lament, for example. Several psalms have been designated as “penitential psalms” because of the emphasis on confession and repentance. Below are a few excerpts from these psalms. May they facilitate even greater confession as we spend time before the Lord.

Psalm 6:1-9

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord — how long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.

My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.

Psalm 32:1-7

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Psalm 38:1-6, 18, 21-22

For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.

I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!

Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Psalm 51:1-4, 7, 10-12, 17

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 130:2

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Psalm 143:1, 6

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Repentance, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Confession

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Jason

The first thing I want to say today is this: God loves to forgive. This is the good news that changes everything for us. Someone has estimated that one-third of the parables Jesus taught are about forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer, He taught us to pray for God’s forgiveness. Clearly, God loves to forgive. It’s one of His favorite things to do.

That’s not the same thing as saying that God loves it when we sin. That’s not true at all. Whenever we sin, it hurts God; it breaks His heart. To sin is to do something unnatural — we weren’t made for sin, we were made for life with God.

But God wants to forgive us. He loves redemption and salvation — and forgiveness is how this happens.

You may be thinking, “Right, we know this already.” But we need to establish this right here at the beginning this morning, otherwise we might lose sight of this as we talk about our topic for today: confession.

Confession is the spiritual discipline of acknowledging the presence of specific sin in my life.

  • Acknowledge = admitting that I am a sinner, either to myself or to someone else or to the Lord. It comes from self-examination, realizing that there are areas of my life where I am not living in conformity to the will of God. Acknowledging the presence of sin is the first step of true, biblical repentance.
  • Specific sin = not in a generalized way, “I have sinned.” Everyone can say that. But confession is stating your sin specifically. We’ll say more about that in a minute.

Let’s look at a few passages from the Bible that speak to this idea of confession:

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Apostle John reiterates the idea that God loves to forgive. If we confess our wrongdoing, we can trust in God’s faithfulness to forgive us by cleansing us from ALL unrighteousness. He is faithful and just and He has the power to wash us clean.

Psalm 38:18

I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

What a great breath description of confession! As an act of repentance, we can meditate on these words and make them our prayer to God as we confess our sins.

David says, “I’m sorry for my sin.” He is grieving over his sin, he has sorrow. The Hebrew word here means “anxious dread.” There is an anxious dread associated with sin and David is grieving over this. That’s a key feature of biblical repentance. It’s one thing to be sorry that you were caught in your sin. But godly sorrow is different. When we see the way sin destroys our relationship with God and how it hurts the people we love, that produces godly sorrow. And as it says in 2 Corinthians 7:10, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…

James 5:16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

Context:

  • The elders in the church would come to a believer who was sick and anoint him with oil. Of course, this is no guarantee of physical healing. Sometimes that happens, but not always.
  • Whether God chooses to heal a person physically has no bearing on the promise God makes in salvation to raise up the believer to walk in newness of eternal life. A believer can trust that he is free from the plague of sin even as his body is plagued by disease.
  • Therefore, James says, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Disease can only damage the body; it is far better to be forgiven of sin which can damage the soul.

Confession is the antidote to the sin of secrecy.

  • You know, it takes a lot of energy to hide your sin. You have to lie, you have to cover your tracks, you have to keep your story straight. But as we said a moment ago, you weren’t made to live that way. Eventually, most people reach a point where they’re just exhausted by all the work it takes to keep up the charade.
  • Secrets will destroy your spiritual life. The more secrets you keep, the less healthy you will be spiritually. The more secretive you are, the more places you have where Satan can get a foothold in your life.
  • That’s why the writer of Proverbs says, in Proverbs 28:13, Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
  • Is there a secret you’ve been keeping that is keeping you from prospering? Are you keeping a secret from someone you love? If so, you need to confess that secret.
    • Satan lives in the dark cloud of secrecy. That’s where he works on us through shame and guilt.
    • But God works in the light of confession. God’s light is the one thing that neutralizes shame and its power.

Confession begins with God.

  • First and foremost, all sin is an affront to God. Even when we have sinned against someone else, we begin by confessing our sin to the Lord.
  • In Psalm 51, David is crying out to the Lord because of his sin with Bathsheba. But he says, Against you, you only, have I sinned (Ps. 51:4). Now this requires some nuance. In his lust and his deception, David has actually sinned against Bathsheba and also her husband, Uriah.
  • But he begins this psalm of repentance by saying that he sinned against God — because this is where true repentance always begins. Commentators point out that David uses this language as a way of emphasizing the fact that he has first and foremost sinned against the Lord.

Confession is always directed at God — but sometimes, we need to confess our sin to another person as well.

  • Sometimes we’ll need to confess something to someone: we’ll need to tell them that we broke our promise to them or that we betrayed their confidence. And this is incredibly difficult, sometimes even more difficult than confessing to the Lord. But there are times when this is necessary.
  • Or there may be times when we need to confess something to someone so they can hold us accountable moving forward. That’s a big part of this as well.

Whether you are confessing your sin to God or to someone else, there are three parts to godly confession:

  1. Honesty: Acknowledge your sin.
  2. Humility: Ask for forgiveness.
  3. Help: Accountability moving forward.

Honesty: Acknowledge your sin

This is a time for the unvarnished truth. Whether you are confessing to God or to another person, be specific in naming your sin. Don’t generalize. If it’s a secret you’ve been keeping, you need to name it, bring it into the light. Don’t be vague, “I made a mistake.” You’re robbing yourself of the power of confession when you do that. I know it’s difficult to bear your soul like that, but this is very important. You can’t be set free from something that you cannot acknowledge. So name your sin honestly.

Humility: Ask for forgiveness

It’s a humbling thing to do to acknowledge your sin. But that puts us in the position of humbly asking for forgiveness. Of course, we begin by following the example of David — we ask the Lord to forgive us. The beautiful part of this is that God loves to forgive. He loves us unconditionally, even when we’re in the wrong.

But if we need to confess our sin to someone else whom we’ve hurt, it’s important to say the words, “Will you forgive me?” This is probably the most vulnerable thing you can ever say. But you need to say it. I’ve had to do this before and it’s really difficult. But it’s also been one of the most powerful ways God has changed my life.

Help: Accountability moving forward

One of the great benefits of giving your life to the Lord is that you receive the gift of Christian community. You have brothers and sisters who surround you in love that is free of judgment. We all struggle with sin in our lives. If you’ve followed the Lord for any length of time, you can point to places where He is leading you in victory — this was once a temptation for me, but now I’ve learned a new nature. And there are also those places where His victory is still in process — places where we still struggle.

When we confess our sins to one another, we are able to be real with each other. And we’re able to hold each other accountable, to encourage one another along the path of righteousness.

When someone confesses their sin to you:

Acknowledge your hurt. You don’t have to say, “It’s ok.” At least not at first. Acknowledge that this is painful and that sin hurts. Don’t rob this individual of this moment. They need to see how much they’ve hurt you. Number one, it’s just honest. More importantly, it’s one of the things God will use to guide them out of their sin.

But you have to balance this by keeping your focus on the Lord. How would Jesus treat this person? Does He cast the first stone in a barrage of shame and wrath? Or does He deal with this person’s vulnerability and shame in a way that is redemptive? I think you know the answer.

Posted in Church, Devotional, Faith, God, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Love of Christ, Repentance, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines, Theology | Leave a comment

Eclipse Day with an Elementary Teacher

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Jason

This is what “eclipse day” is like when you’re married to an elementary school teacher:

Posted in Family, Humor, Sunny | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Meditation

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Jason

The author Richard Foster says that our enemy majors in things like noise and hurry. The devil would be satisfied for the majority of our lives to be consumed with “much-ness” and “many-ness” because such a life is a superficial life. But spiritual growth rarely occurs when we’re in a hurry. God seems to work at a much slower pace. Instead, spiritual growth often occurs when we slow down and engage in moments of reflection and meditation. And that’s what we’re talking about today: the spiritual discipline of meditation.

Biblical meditation has a long and rich history. I need to say this because I have a feeling that many of us have a very particular understanding of the word. When you hear the word “meditation,” I imagine most of us think of something like this:

For many people, the word “meditation” conjures up ideas of Zen Buddhism or sitting cross-legged on the floor, trying to achieve a deeper level of consciousness — something along those lines.

But the idea of meditation found in the Bible is quite a bit different. Biblical meditation looks more like these two images:

Adele Calhoun has a definition of Christian meditation I really like: “Meditation is a long, ardent gaze at God, his work and his Word.” Christian meditation is about reflecting on God’s work and God’s Word. It’s about slowing down to reflect on His goodness in creation or to reflect on His promises in Scripture.

We live in largely unreflective times. Almost everything about life today is designed to keep us distracted or busy. But intentional Christian meditation runs counter to this. It is about giving God my undivided attention, reflecting on His work and His Word — to put it another way, reflecting on what God has said, but also on what God has done.

  • Meditating on God’s Word is different than Bible study.
    • Bible study is about exegesis, about engaging the mind in analysis of Scripture. You can study a passage all day long and still fail to enter into the reality to which it speaks.
    • But biblical meditation is about internalizing God’s Word at the heart level. It’s not about some rigorous analysis of Greek and Hebrew words. It’s about receiving God’s Word into your heart and your soul, letting it become a part of you.
    • Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is meditation.”
    • This kind of meditation keeps us from passing over God’s Word in a superficial manner. It takes us deep into the heart of what God has said.
  • Likewise, meditative reflection on God’s works helps us to see the depths of God’s activity in our lives.
    • We can reflect on God’s glory as revealed in His creation. This kind of meditation helps us see God’s hand in the everyday moments of our lives.
    • Harriet Tubman is known for her work to help liberate slaves through the Underground Railroad. She was compelled to do this because she was also a devout believer. She spent a lot of time meditating on Scripture. One of her favorite passages was Isaiah 16:3, “Hide the outcasts; betray not him that wandereth.” She pondered these words and turned them into prayers, which led her deeper into God’s presence.
    • She told her biographer, “I prayed all the time, about my work, everywhere; I was always talking to the Lord. When I went to the horse trough to wash my face and took up the water in my hands, I said, ‘Oh, Lord, wash me, make me clean.’ When I took up the towel to wipe my face and hands, I cried, ‘Oh, Lord, for Jesus’ sake, wipe away all my sins!!’ When I took up the broom and began to sweep, I groaned, ‘Oh, Lord, whatsoever sin there be in my heart, sweep it out, Lord, clear and clean.'”
    • That’s an example of someone who has meditated on God’s Word and God’s works.

With this in mind, I want to share a few scriptures that speak to this idea of meditation.

Psalm 19:1, 14

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

David confesses that God’s work in creation declares His glory. Maybe you’ve experienced this overwhelming sense of God’s glory in creation as you witness the beauty of a sunrise or the breathtaking view from atop a mountain.

Creation tells a story — it tells of our Creator and His power and His glory. We need to reflect on that story. Paul talks about this in Romans 1, saying that creation is a reliable source of knowledge about God and that we are without excuse because all humanity has access to this knowledge. Just look around.

Because of this, David is prompted to say Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you. David sees evidence of God’s glory all throughout creation. In humility, he meditates on this.

Psalm 77:6, 11-12

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.”

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.

The writer of this Psalm, Asaph, recognizes God’s faithfulness. Through meditation, he is personally remembering and reflecting on God’s mighty deeds. And the primary example he goes on to write about is the Exodus when God set His people free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.

You can read the story of the Exodus with your mind. You can ask questions about the date of the Exodus and which Pharaoh was in power and all of that. And that’s a perfectly fine way to read the story. But if that’s the only way we read the Exodus, then we’re missing something. To read with the mind and not the heart is to fail to internalize and personalize the story. The Exodus is a reminder of God’s mighty deeds, His wonders, His work. It’s a reminder that God leads me in the same exodus: out of the land of sin and into the land of promise. Through meditation, this story becomes personal to me.

That’s what we’re getting at with this idea of meditation. It’s reflection at that personal level.

Joshua 1:8

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

This passage makes it clear that God wants His law to be on His people’s lips. He wants His people to meditate on His Word, to commit it to memory and say it aloud as they go about their day.

  • The word here for “meditate” is a Hebrew word that is used to describe the growl of an animal. Eugene Peterson invites us to think about the sound a dog makes when it has a bone. He says that’s what that Hebrew word means. That dog is “meditating” on the bone, worrying at it, gnawing at it, savoring it.
  • And this is a helpful way to think about what God says about His Word. He doesn’t want us to simply read over His Word, once and done, I’ve got my Bible reading for the day – but rather, He says to meditate on it, savor it, let it sink in beyond the superficial level. Like a dog gnawing on a bone, so do I need to return to the word of God over and over.
  • That’s what it means to meditate on the Word of God.

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

The Psalms begin with these two paths: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.

  • The admonition here is NOT to walk in the counsel of the wicked. John Ortberg says this is the way everyone else thinks and talks and acts. It’s the godless wisdom of the world. It’s those who manipulate the truth, those who call good evil and evil good. In every generation, it is a temptation to adopt the “group think” of worldly wisdom.
    • Notice the progression: he goes from walking in the counsel of the wicked to standing in the way of sinners to sitting in the seat of scoffers.
    • From walking to standing to sitting. Isn’t that how sin works? You’re walking off the path of God’s will and then you go from walking to standing — just stay right here for a while, the devil says. And before you know it, you’re sitting down, not moving at all — because Satan has his hooks in you.
  • But the Psalmist warns against this — for this is the way of destruction, as it says at the end of the Psalm.
  • Instead, we are to walk in the paths of righteousness — the path of true justice and godly wisdom. Such a person delights in the law of the Lord. He or she meditates on the law day and night.
    • Do you delight in the law of God? Do you delight in His precepts, His commands, His instruction?
    • I love what Rosaria Butterfield says: You cannot separate God’s love from God’s law. God gives His commands as an extension of His love.
    • The Scriptures say that the good life is a life spent meditating on the law of God. The world says the good life is a life free from all restrictions, to be your own “god” and live life according to your own determination of right and wrong. God’s Word says otherwise.
    • This is why meditation on God’s Word is so important.

The devil’s strategy seems to be largely focused on two things: worry and hurry. If the devil can get you to worry and get you to hurry, he has you right where he wants you. One of the ways we counter that is through meditation: by slowing down and reflecting on God’s Word and God’s work.

This is one of the primary ways I’ve seen that God transforms our desires. When we spend time reflecting on God’s Word and God’s work, our desire for God and His Kingdom begins to grow. It forms in us the desire Jesus commands in Matthew 6:33, Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness….

Are you seeking the Kingdom of God today?

Posted in Culture, Devotional, Discipleship, Faith, God, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines, Theology | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Generosity and Goodness

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Jason

Generosity is living with a large heart, about having a heart that’s open and responsive to others. In the words of the song we just sang, it’s about giving yourself away. Not just talking about your finances. That’s such a small part of biblical generosity. It’s about your attitude, your time, your whole self.

  • The kind of generosity we’re talking about is a natural by-product of living in the Kingdom, experiencing God’s goodness.
  • You know, what if the Father is really as good as Jesus says He is? That changes things — it allows us to live out of a different place.
  • John of the Cross talks about living life from the “center” — this place of God’s supreme goodness. When you’ve experienced God’s goodness, you can live with generosity. You share of yourself because God’s goodness is sustaining you.

And it even extends out to sharing Jesus with others — that’s an act of generosity, too.

I think a good example of this is found in what Paul writes to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 2:8

Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

This is the highest form of generosity: when we share the gospel with someone and we also share our own lives. The two are linked together in a powerful way.

  • Paul’s preaching of the gospel isn’t detached from his own life. It’s not impersonal bullet points about abstract theology.
  • It’s natural for Paul to share the gospel and share his life because the two are so interwoven together. When we accept the gospel, it becomes the most personal element of our being. It’s at the core of who we are.
  • I think that’s why Paul is always telling his story in the book of Acts and in his letters.
  • In 1 Thessalonians, Paul has just said that he was gentle with the Thessalonians, like a nursing mother taking care of an infant. The point is obvious: Paul’s generosity of spirit helps him treat the Thessalonian believers as if they are his own family.
  • One scholar notes: “We were delighted does not mean simply that they took pleasure in this, but rather that by an act of will they decided to make a commitment to the Thessalonians.”
  • Older translations use the word “souls” instead of “lives” — we shared not only the gospel of God but our own souls as well.

This is the kind of generosity we are called to demonstrate as we interact with others. Generosity is living with a heart so large that we treat people like family. This requires discipline — an act of the will, as the commentator says. But that kind of generosity is a commitment to others in the name of the gospel.

Our mission is to share Jesus with every man, woman, and child in the city of Huntsville — just as it says in Acts 19 that everyone in Ephesus heard the word of the Lord in the two years Paul spent there. How is this ever going to happen if we’re not generous in sharing with others? What would happen if we started sharing not only the gospel with people — but also our lives? What would happen if you shared your story with someone?

When is the last time you shared your story with someone? Let me put it this way: When is the last time you shared your soul with someone? There is so much power there.

Generosity is about giving people the benefit of the doubt. It’s about kindness and hospitality and love — in this way, generosity is a gospel word.

The greatest threat to my generosity is usually the way I choose to react to someone else’s lack of generosity.

Two stories about generosity:

About a week ago, Madison Academy had their annual music show for students called Music Mania. It’s two nights of performances (one for elementary, one for the high school) and they needed parents to volunteer to work the ticket table. So I volunteered to help and they gave me an iPad and a box full of cash and set me up at a table right inside the door. If you bought your ticket in advance, it was something like $5 or $10. But if you waited until the night of the show, the ticket price went up to $20. Guy shows up, I say, “That’ll be $40.” He makes a big scene. “$40! That’s outrageous!” I said, “Yeah, I’m sorry. That’s how much it costs for two tickets; they’re $20 a piece.” And he does it again, only this time he’s like looking around at other people. He says, “$20 a person! That’s ridiculous!” And he’s looking around like he’s trying to start a revolution or something. “These prices, am I right? Who’s with me?”

And in that moment, I had a choice to make. In these kinds of verbal confrontations, I can hold my own. I have a pretty quick mind, I’m good with my words — so I had a choice to make. Part of me wanted to say, “Look, man. This is a fundraiser. All of this money goes into this program to help your children. What, do you think I’m going to slip out of town tonight and head off to Tunica with all of your cash? Give me a break. How much would you pay to watch your children do something they love?” Those were some of the thoughts in my head at the time.

But all week long, I had been going over material for this series. And just that week, I had been really focusing in on the idea of generosity as living with a large heart. And for me to react to his ugliness with more ugliness wouldn’t have been very generous. It wouldn’t have been very large hearted. So I just said, “Sir, I understand that you’re upset. But I don’t set the ticket prices. I’m just the guy with the iPad. If you’d like to buy a ticket, I can help you. But if not, I need to wait on the people behind you in line.”

Before anything else could happen, his wife stepped up and said to her husband, “Will you just buy a ticket? You’re embarrassing me!”

Second story: John Ortberg tells this story about Dallas Willard, who in addition to being a world class theologian and thinker also served as a professor at the University of Southern California. Someone once observed Willard teaching a course and toward the end of one class, a cocksure freshman objected to something Willard had said. Dallas just stood there stoically as this young man ranted and raved. And it was evident to this observer that the young man was not only out of line, but wholly incorrect in his understanding of Willard’s point.

When the young man finished his diatribe, Willard said in a gentle voice, “I think this is good place for us to stop today. We’ll pick up here next time.” After the students had filed out of the classroom, the observer questioned Willard, saying, “Why didn’t you correct that kid? You could’ve really crushed him…and if you ask me, I think he deserves it!”

Willard simply replied, “I am practicing the spiritual discipline of not having to get in the last word.”

I think he was also practicing the spiritual discipline of loving generosity.

Posted in Devotional, Discipleship, Faith, God, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Love First, Love God, Love Others, Missiology, Poverty, Scripture, Social Issues, Spiritual Disciplines | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Generosity

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Jason

As we continue our study of the spiritual disciplines, our focus for today is on the discipline of generosity. I would define generosity as “living with a large heart.” It’s a posture of openness and a willingness to give of one’s self.

  • Over the last few months, I’ve been reading a lot of material on the spiritual disciplines in preparation for this series.
  • But I’ve noticed something: in a lot of the literature about spiritual disciplines, there’s no mention of generosity.
  • I find that really puzzling because generosity requires a tremendous amount of discipline. Jesus has quite a bit to say about generosity in the Sermon on the Mount. In fact, His comments are tucked right alongside His teachings on the first two disciplines we’ve looked at in this series: prayer and fasting.
  • It seems that Jesus sees generous giving as a vital part of our spiritual growth.

Matthew 6:1-4

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Thus, when you give to the needy sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

This is part of a teaching triad in the Sermon on the Mount, three sections where Jesus contrasts hypocritical piety with legitimate God-honoring action.

  • We looked at the spiritual discipline of prayer a few weeks ago; Jesus addresses that in the next section of Matthew 6. He says, “Don’t pray like the hypocrites who stand on the street corners to be seen by others. They’ve already received their reward. But pray in secret and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”
  • And Jesus goes on to say the same thing about fasting: Don’t fast to be seen by others. Instead, fast in secret and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
  • And as we just read, His teaching on giving and generosity follows the same line of thinking: Don’t give in a showy way that draws attention to yourself. Instead, give in secret, and your Father in heaven will reward you.

There is a reward associated with generous giving. What is it?

  • The reward is a heart that is grown by God. God uses generosity to grow our hearts.
  • When we practice generosity, we are laying down the appetite to spend our money on ourselves. It’s similar to fasting in this regard. Just as fasting teaches us that there is other food — food from God — which can sustain us, so too does generosity teach us that there are better treasures than the ones we typically hoard. That’s how God uses generosity to grow our hearts.
  • Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 6 that money can become a master over us. It can become an object of worship for us, which is why Jesus warns, No one can serve two masters. You’ll love one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Matt. 6:24).
  • Godly generosity is a way of keeping money from taking on an outsized importance in our lives.

Through acts of generosity, we also stay in touch with the fact that our resources are gifts from God. 

  • We’re tempted to think that we go out and we work hard and we’re compensated for that hard work — therefore, my money is mine to do with as I please. This is just part of the air we breathe.
  • But intentional, godly generosity pushes back on that mindset just a bit. It helps us acknowledge that even though we might’ve worked hard for those resources, they come from God nonetheless. And we are utterly dependent upon God for all things. This helps us view those physical resources for what they are: gifts from God.
  • In this way, generosity helps to align us with reality. It keeps us from the delusion of our own self-sufficiency and grounds everything in light of God’s grace.

That’s why generosity is a spiritual discipline. It requires practice. It goes against the grain of our natural desires — just like fasting goes against the grain of our natural desire for food.

No one is born generous. We’re born greedy; we’re born with a desire to take and take and take. Generosity is something that we have to learn.

But Christian generosity is born out of a life of spiritual abundance. In John 10:10, Jesus says, I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Maybe your translation says, …and have it to the full (NIV). There is an abundant life that comes from knowing Jesus.

  • It is a life free from the shame of sin. We have been forgiven!
  • We are no longer slaves to fear. Instead, we can say, “I am a child of God!”
  • It is a life full of fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus says His mission is to give us a life of abundance, a life of overflowing joy and peace and hope.

Generosity simply flows out of this life of abundance. When your life is full of God, you can live with open hands and an open heart.

Paul points to the Christians in Macedonia as examples of this in 2 Corinthians 8.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints — and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Paul’s drive in many of his letters is to take up a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. The church there was afflicted, desperately in need. And Paul is intent on taking a collection from the Gentile believers to provide assistance. He does this because he is moved by the suffering in Jerusalem. But he’s also wanting to unite these groups who have been divided over theological matters such as circumcision and whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols.

He points to the believers in Macedonia. They’re extremely poor, yet they also have an abundance of joy. They don’t have much, yet their generosity is overflowing. How is this possible? Because they have hearts filled with God. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to His service. Their lives are filled to the brim with GOD, therefore they are able to exercise generosity, even out of their meager earthly treasures.

Their reward runs deeper than their pocketbook. Their reward is eternal — therefore, they have become generous with those things which are temporary: namely, their financial resources.

I’ve seen so many examples of this over the years — examples of men and women who were exceedingly generous in their giving. And they wouldn’t want me to call them by name because so many of them are right here in our midst this morning.

  • But I want you to know that it’s more than just finances — in every case, the most generous financial givers I’ve ever known all possessed a deep awareness that their wealth was a gift from God. They felt a need to be good stewards of God’s blessings.
  • And those people live with generous spirits — it’s not just their money, but they give of their time, their energy. Paul’s words about the Macedonians ring true in the lives of so many saints today: they gave themselves first to the Lord, heart and soul. Their generous giving was just a natural extension of this, a reminder of what Jesus says: wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21).

How are you practicing generosity? Does your generosity flow out of a full awareness of God’s love for you?

Maybe you’re at a point in life where you have the capacity to practice a higher level of financial generosity. If so, praise God. We live in a world full of needs, just like Paul and those Macedonian and Corinthian believers centuries ago. What does it mean for you to give according to your means? Does your financial giving flow out of an awareness of the generosity of God? If not, maybe the word of God would prompt you to consider that this week. Maybe God’s Spirit is gently nudging you in this direction, to remember that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).

Or maybe you’re at a point in life where you can give more of your time and your energy. Maybe God has gifted you in certain areas and you’re feeling a call to exercise that gift in a way that blesses others. Praise God for that. Maybe God’s spirit is gently nudging you in a direction where you can use your time and gifts in His service.

May we grow in the image of our God, the One who gave us His Son.

Posted in Blessings, Faith, Kingdom Values, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines, Stewardship | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Fasting

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Jason

Today we want to continue our series by looking at what the Bible has to say about fasting. Last week, we kicked off this series by focusing on prayer as a way of keeping company with God. And it’s fitting that we follow that up by talking about the discipline of fasting.

  • Historically, fasting has been understood as abstaining from food and / or drink for a predetermined period of time. The time and energy ordinarily devoted to eating is directed toward prayer and communion with God.
  • The author Gerald May refers to fasting as “body prayer.” It’s a way of using our body to pray to God, to honor God. I think that’s a helpful way to think about biblical fasting — as “body prayer.”
  • Another author, Adele Calhoun, says that when we fast, we lay down our appetite – either an appetite for food or media or shopping, whatever it might be. That may not seem like much: it’s just a meal or a trip to the thrift store. But fasting brings us face to face with the hunger in our souls. So we lay down an appetite in order to keep company with God.

Jesus teaches about fasting in the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 6:16-18

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

A couple of things stand out to me about this teaching:

  1. When you fast.
    • Jesus doesn’t “if you fast.” Instead, He says “when you fast.” Jesus seems to assume that His followers will participate in fasting.
    • Fasting is not commanded anywhere in the New Testament. This would be the closest thing to a “command” you can find regarding fasting in the NT.
    • But it was a common feature of Jewish life. Jesus implies that His people will participate in fasting.
    • Context: in the flow of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about praying and giving. We know that these are important, so why wouldn’t we assume the same thing about fasting?
    • The Bible is full of examples of people whose faith prompted them to fast. That list includes: Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Anna, Jesus, Paul, and the shepherds over the church at Antioch, just to name a few.
    • The Didache is a collection of teachings dating back to the late first century. It gives us incredible insight into the faith of second-generation Christians. It shows us that Christians in the late first century were observing fast days every Wednesday and Friday. Those days were specifically chosen to differentiate themselves from the practice of non-Christian Jews.
    • Fasting has been a part of the Christian faith from the beginning.
  1. Why you fast.
    • The emphasis here really isn’t even on the act of fasting itself. Instead, it’s on the “why” of fasting. Specifically it’s a contrast between “showy” spirituality and private communion with God.
      • In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees were big on showing their piety through long prayers and giving in a way that drew attention to themselves. One commentary refers to it as “showmanship piety.” Jesus calls them hypocrites. These Pharisees wanted everyone to know that they were fasting. Jesus says that if we practice our spirituality to be seen by men, then we’ve already received our reward.
      • Instead, Jesus encourages us to fast in secret — just as He tells us to pray in secret and to give in secret.
      • Fasting is not for show. It is about cultivating deeper communion with God, not about showing off one’s spirituality.
    • In the Bible, you find examples of people fasting for a variety of reasons:
      • As a way of demonstrating repentance.
      • As a sign of grief.
      • As a way of seeking God’s guidance.
      • As part of worship.
      • But in every case, the “why” of fasting is focused upon God.

Fasting is important because it’s about self-denial — and self-denial is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus says, Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me (Matt. 16:24). Fasting helps us to “mortify the flesh” — to put to death our fleshly desires, at least to a certain degree. It’s a way of setting limits on ourselves, which really goes against the grain of our consumeristic culture. But we don’t worship the culture and its demands — we worship God.

Paul says that we are easily tempted to make an idol out of our own earthly and fleshly desires. But to do so is to make ourselves enemies of the cross.

Philippians 3:18-21

For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

God uses fasting to teach us self-control. He uses it as a safeguard against our temptation to make the belly our “god.” Fasting is a momentary renouncement of those desires which anticipates our future transformation and declares that our citizenship is in heaven. It is a subversive denial of our flesh. It’s saying “No” to one area of your life so you can say, “Yes,” to God.

I was speaking with one of our brothers recently and he told me how fasting had become an essential part of his spiritual life. I asked him if I could share his comments in this sermon. He agreed on one condition: he asked that I share these comments without mentioning him by name. Here is what our brother said about his experience with fasting:

While studying Dallas Willard’s “Divine Conspiracy” with a men’s group, I was convicted to make fasting part of my weekly routine. Study, prayer, giving and serving were familiar and already lifestyle habits, but I had ignored the practice of fasting for the entirety of my walk with Jesus. I simply did not see the need. How could going hungry on a regular basis improve my relationship with God and those around me? Surely He doesn’t want a hangry Christian walking around giving others a bad impression of a life with Christ. I had studied fasting on several occasions and even tried it once or twice, but to quote Dallas Willard, “The disciplines do not confirm their value to those who only talk about them or study them ‘academically’ or hear others talk about them. One has to enter them with Jesus as teacher to find the incredible power they have to change one’s world and character.”

So I committed to fasting once a week, skipping supper followed by skipping breakfast and lunch the next day and then breaking my fast that evening. Yes I got hungry, sometimes accompanied by a headache, but I decided to respond to these moments by singing “Lord I need you oh I need you. Every hour I need you. You’re my one defense, my righteousness, oh God how I need you “. (In my head of course—it sounds better that way). The results were not immediate and even after a year and a half, I can still sense improvement. Denying the flesh and acknowledging God as my only true sustenance has opened the door for the Spirit to work on my patience, helping me to respond to others in a more Christ-like way, even when I am “stressed out“ or “too busy to deal with you right now “. That is, the Spirit has replaced my anger with love and kindness. I suspect it wouldn’t take long for my bad habits to resurface if I stopped the practice of fasting. 

As our brother testifies, fasting is simply one method God uses to grow his soul. God is using this regular practice to produce fruit in this brother’s life — particularly the good fruit of love and kindness in place of aggravation and frustration.

Do you believe God could use something like fasting to draw you closer to Himself?

I want to close with a few practical guidelines for fasting. The materials produced by our Education Team covers this at a more in-depth level — you should be hearing more about that in Bible class this morning. But since we’ve already covered the when and why of fasting, I wanted to close with some guidelines on how to fast:

  • Don’t fast if you are chronically ill, pregnant or nursing.
  • A normal fast is to abstain from all food and drink except water. Be sure to stay hydrated when you fast.
  • If you’re new to fasting, begin by fasting for one meal. Don’t bite off more than you can chew (haha – sorry).
  • Work up to longer fasts. Be gracious with yourself as you grow in this discipline.
  • When fasting, you may need to moderate your activity level.
  • Have scriptures and prayers ready. Focus on these during the time you usually spend eating and drinking.
  • Don’t break your fast with a huge meal. Eat smaller portions and break your fast gently.

When we fast, we are living out what the Bible says: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4). He is our true sustenance.

Would you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus today?

Posted in Church, Faith, God, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Quotes, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Grace

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Jason

Last week we noted that we don’t grow very much from doing many things one or two times. No, we grow from doing a few things many times. That’s a key to practicing the spiritual disciplines. We have to engage in these spiritual disciplines on a regular basis in order to fully experience God’s power to grow our souls.

But I need to point out another key principle: Practicing the spiritual disciplines is about grace, not law. That means that the spiritual disciplines aren’t about works righteousness; it’s not about creating badges of spirituality. This stuff doesn’t make anyone a “super Christian” — there’s no such thing. And practicing the spiritual disciplines isn’t about legalistic observance of religious rituals either. These disciplines open us up to the grace of God. They’re not to be done to prove that we’re right — that’s legalism.

Legalism is one of the greatest threats to our spiritual lives. Some people in the church will use terms like “progressive” and “conservative” to describe either themselves or groups of fellow believers who hold a different view. And that’s really unfortunate, because those terms are just divisive. Those are political terms that we’ve incorporated into the church — which is a really dangerous thing to do. And in some of the conversations I overhear, those who proudly call themselves “progressive” will use the term “legalism” in a derisive way to describe their brethren who would call themselves more “conservative.” But you know what? Those who like to call themselves “progressive” are often times just as legalistic as the ones they deride.

  • A “conservative” tends to be legalistic about the traditional ways of the faith — the old paths and the way things used to be.
  • But a “progressive” is just as legalistic whenever he thinks he’s found the new right way of practicing faith. He’s guilty of doing the same thing he mocks his brother for doing!

I just want to say that this series isn’t about any of that nonsense. We’re not setting out to be legalistic about these practices. The idea is that these practices are the means God uses to grow us. If we experience any spiritual growth, it’s because of God, not us.

Posted in Faith, God, Kingdom Values, Politics, Spiritual Disciplines | Leave a comment

Jackson: Music Mania (10th Grade)

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Jason

Jackson’s original composition, “Autumnal Nocturne.”

Posted in Family, Kids, Music | Leave a comment