I hope this message finds each of you well, and you enjoyed a Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  I love having a day specifically set aside as an opportunity to corporately remember the goodness of God, which overflows in a heart of thanksgiving.  How great is our God, and His love towards us in Jesus!

The passage below, can be a weighty one.  It can be abused to project fear without grace, or it can be treated too lightly without a right fear of the holiness of God that demands judgment against sin.  While we press forward towards Christ, pursuing God and personal righteousness, know that there is no condemnation for anyone who is in Christ Jesus.

1 John 3:9-11 – “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.  For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”

It is impossible for a Christian to continue in sin.  God is light, and in Him there is no darkness, no sin.  By faith, we have been united with Christ, and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  Therefore, a Christian will never be at peace with sin in their lives.  Instead they will see sin rightly as a poison for our souls, and will be working with all their power to rid themselves of it.

The risk here is to judge either ourselves or others according to outward appearances.  We cannot see someone’s heart, but God can.  Christians can fall away, but they will always return.  If you look at Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son – this likely took place over months or years.  An outsider would likely have looked at this person’s life and said – they’re not a Christian, but God sees what we cannot.

So in love, if we see a professing brother or sister practicing sinning, we confront them, pray for them, and call them back into a right relationship with God.  In our own lives, knowing the fear of the Lord, we run from sin, praying God’s continued protection and deliverance from temptation, and renounce anything that would seek to separate us from the God we know and love.

As each of us walks with Christ, day to day, let us be watchful in our own lives, and loving towards our brothers and sisters to press forward in pursuing the righteousness of God.  Let the love of Christ be manifest in our love towards others, that we call one another way from sin, eager to extend grace and mercy to others, as we have been extended grace and mercy in Christ.  The LORD is with you, and for you.  He has delivered you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, and He is mightily working in each of you to draw you closer to Himself.  Stay encouraged, surround yourself with brothers and sisters in Christ, and stay vigilant in your walk with Him.

As we continue our way through the New Testament, I’m moving ahead into 1 John.  This book has a special place in my heart, because I have found myself coming back to it often amidst trials, and when I am in need of reminding of the gospel (which is every day).

In the passage below, I want us to hear from God the answers to the following questions -What role does repentance have in the life of a Christian?  What does it look like?  How does the gospel of Jesus enter into repentance?

1 John 1:5-10 – “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Let’s walk through this together.  It’s good news, and Truth, that God is perfectly good, perfectly righteous, and there is no sin or evil either outwardly, or inwardly in His motivations.  This is our God.  This is the God who loved us enough to die to ransom us, and with whom everyone who hopes in Jesus alone for salvation will spend eternity.  We could sit in those truths and rejoice for eternity, (and we will in Heaven) but for today let’s keep moving.

Knowing that about God’s holiness and righteousness, it follows that we cannot say we have fellowship (intimate relationship) with God, while we are walking in sin.  What does this mean?  It means that if we have unchecked sin in our life, unconfessed sin that we are practicing, and hiding from others – we do not have fellowship with our holy God.  It’s an important question to check our own hearts when we find ourselves in sin – Why do we want to stop sinning?  If we want to stop sinning simply because the guilt we feel or consequences we have from sin, we are no different from a non-believer.  We pursue righteousness, personal holiness because we have tasted the goodness of God, and the sweetness of fellowship with Him, and we want fellowship with Him more than we want whatever temporal pleasures or comfort sin may seemingly offer.

Repentance literally means to change ones mind about a thing.  It means before I sought pleasure and comfort in this way, and now I see there is no lasting pleasure or comfort in those things, and instead I see and savor God as my ultimate treasure and pursue Him.  So it doesn’t mean that I never struggle with sin, but it mean that the gospel of Jesus Christ has destroyed the lie of sin, that joy can be found there, and so we push forward seeking more of God each day.

I love the next verses John gives, because it kills any pride or root of self-righteousness that may want to spring up in a Christian.  verses 8-10:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  Let’s stop there for a moment.  When is that not true?  What moment in our earthly life, will that statement of God not be valid for every one of us?  Among our Christian friends, if they ask us how they can be praying for us – there is always something to be prayed for.  If they ask what sin we are struggling with, and how they can encourage us and pray for us, there should always be an answer other than “I’m ok”.  None of us are ok, apart from the grace and mercy of God, and so we need to be running back to the cross of Jesus as often as we can, to be reminded of what He has done for us.

What is the good news?  If we confess our sins – God is faithful and right to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Now, in reality, all of our sins were atoned for, and we were made right with God through Jesus 2,000 years ago, so what does this mean for us?  It means our soul will be cleansed and renewed to have fellowship with God, where our joy is found.  Looking at the flip side, if we are not confessing our sins, it means that we are actively disbelieving the gospel because at a heart level it means that we are not trusting in God’s grace and forgiveness through Christ.  I’m going to be explicit here, because many will try a type of compartmentalization here that is deceiving and unhelpful if someone simply takes this confession to be to God – this confession should be both to God and another Christian brother or sister.  There is so much healing God wants for you in being known by other followers of Jesus – to hear your sin, and have someone look at you and mourn your sin and it’s devastation with you, but also remind you of the gospel.

John wraps up his call to confession with yet another reminder, that we are all sinners, and to say otherwise is to betray our own ignorance of God and His holiness.  We are all in this together.

Humility, Repentance, Forgiveness, Grace, and Mercy – these should mark the daily lives of Christ followers.  Humble because we’re all sinners.  Repentant because we have tasted the goodness of God, and want more of Him for our joy.  Forgiving, because we are constantly being forgiven by God.  Gracious because all good things in our life have been undeserved and a gift of God, so we are gracious to others.  Merciful, because we have been extended great mercy by God through Jesus, and so we are able to extend mercy to fellow sinners.  All of this bears itself out in walking in repentance daily.

My exhortation is to find people whom you can do this with.  If you have barriers from past experiences, I would encourage you to talk with a pastor or elder about that, and work to find a group of people who will love and encourage you towards Christ, and whom you can likewise love and encourage towards Christ.  If you are walking in darkness, hiding from others because of shame from your sin – I want to ask you gently, how is that going?  What good has come from hiding?  The peace you are seeking, the freedom and joy you desire, can only be found in a transparent relationship with God.

One of my elders of my own church said it very well in this way – Better to be honest and broken, but secure in your salvation, than to be hiding and seemingly ok, but condemned.  God will meet you wherever you are, just come.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

Our hearts yearn for fulfillment.  Sin is deceptive and will tell us that we cannot be happy unless we have what the world offers.  How can we, sinners in a world of sin, hope to overcome temptations that would draw us away from God?  What holds us to God, when the world is constantly seeking to pull us from Him?

1 Peter 2:1-5 – “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

God, in the passage above, has much to encourage us with.  This passage is a wheel that turns on the center statement – “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good”.  I found myself laboring to try to explain what this means.  I have a feeling for those who have tasted the Lord’s goodness, no explanation is needed, yet for those who have not, I can try to explain, but it is like trying to explain love or loss to someone who has never experienced it.  The Lord is good to us beyond anything we can fathom.  He is perfect love, perfect faithfulness, and He is for us; even to the point of suffering shame, beatings, death, and the wrath of God in our place.

What does your heart say about God over everything else in your life?  The goodness of God, being the place where your heart finds rest in this world broken by sin, allows for both repentance and a heart that pursues Christ in holiness from His Word.  The heart wants what it wants – unless you have tasted the goodness of God, then every bit of repentance the Bible calls you towards will be burdensome to you.  1 John 5:3 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”  

Repentance is more than just feeling bad about your wrongs, it literally means to change one’s mind.  The repentance that God calls us to is not burdensome because we see the goodness of God, we see the lies and deceitfulness of sin, and we joyfully reject sin and run after God, trusting that whatever happens in our life, wherever God leads us, we are in the hands of a God who loves us and is always for us.  We don’t want to sin against God, because we love Him – we’ve tasted the goodness of God, we do not want to bring dishonor to His name, and we trust that in Him and in following Him there is peace and a fullness of joy in fellowship with Him.

Psalm 84:11 – “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Repentance is fueled by our coming to God daily to be reminded of His goodness and promises towards us.  Many people, myself included have often come to God’s Word looking for answers about what things we should do or not do.  God doesn’t work that way.  God doesn’t give us a list of things to do, He just calls us to love Him with all our heart.  That may seem simplistic in a world where decisions have to be made every day, but that is the peace of God – that we can seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness and trust that whatever that looks like will be the best possible path for us to take.  So we come to God, in His Word often to be refreshed by the Truth of God for us, worked out by the Spirit of God in us, so that we would find greater freedom and joy in Christ.

The outcome of this, is that just as Christ was rejected by men, we too will be rejected by many.  There will be trials that come from following God, but for those who have tasted the goodness of God, we can persevere through any trials knowing that Christ is with us and for us every step, every moment of our lives.  Philippians 4:12-13 – “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  

I’m going to try to land the plane here.  The goodness of God is tasted and savored by every Christian indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God through faith.  It is the goodness of God that fuels both true repentance from the deceitfulness of sin, and delight in the pursuit of God in holiness.  We come to God’s word not from obligation, but meekly, in need of regular refreshment in the goodness of God and His promises towards us in our Lord, Christ Jesus.  As those who have tasted the goodness of God, we are being built up into Him, after His likeness, so that as time goes by we will find less of our old selves, and more of Him for our joy.

As one who is with you in the fight for faith, my encouragement is to keep going to the One who has eternal life.  We cannot change our hearts, but God can, and promises to do so.  We have no hope in ourselves, but perfect hope in Christ, our savior.  Together we ask, for Him to reveal more of His goodness to us, and for our hearts to be knit together with His for our good and His glory.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

I apologize for the break in messages.  Between some travel required from work, and a full schedule it’s been difficult to find time to write.  That said, I take great encouragement that God is ever-present and at work every moment of every day.

I want to ask one question for us today.  What does your heart say about the gospel of Jesus?  Not your head, your heart.  Intellectually acknowledging the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is essential, but it alone will not save you.  (Jam 2:9)  Intellectually acknowledgment alone is not evidence of active faith, and will not produce in you the kind of freedom that God means to unleash in you, for you to joyously give up your life to love others towards Him.

In John 8 31-36, Jesus speaks of the freedom He offers – “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

I take great comfort in the type of people that Jesus delivered the gospel message to.  Traitors, prostitutes, murderers, thieves, adulterers – there is no category of sin/sinner that Jesus did not cover with His blood.  There is no unforgivable past, there is no unforgivable current sin struggle, and there is no future sin that can separate a person from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  His arms are open, His mercies are new each morning, and His love, patience, and grace far exceed whatever we can conceive of in our weak, fallen minds.

Are you a visitor in God’s house or are you a son or daughter of God through Jesus?  In dying, Jesus absorbed the wrath of God for every ounce of our sin, and every bit of the guilt and shame accompanying it.  The freedom of Christ is a new life in Him.  By faith, you are united with Him also in His resurrection, partakers of His glory – no longer wretched in God’s sight, but you are credited with, clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus.  You are image bearers of God, reflections of His glory, and precious in His sight.  Your place with Jesus in God’s house in not temporary, but permanent – He is with you and you are with Him forever.  He will never leave you or forsake you, He is ever for you.

What does your heart say about all of this?  The worst thing in the world is to hear these truths of God, to rejoice in a moment, and then move on.  You will never be free until these truths are fed daily to your heart, so that the overflow of your heart will be joy and freedom in the Truth.  This is why we seek to have our hearts made happy in God by His Word daily.  This is why we get together with other Bible believing Christians regularly to remind ourselves of the gospel, and it’s truths for us in our lives.  This is why we go to church to have God’s truth preached over us.  This is why we take the Lord’s supper together.  We could go on.

The freedom Christ offers in salvation through the gospel; the live, peace, and joy of a right relationship with a loving Father is not a past decision, but a present pursuit of heart-level trusting in the Truth of God.  My hope for myself and us all is that God would continue to be merciful to us – to draw us to Himself daily in repentance from sin, and joy in fellowship with Him – covered by His blood, rooted in our identity as sons and daughters of the Living God.  The road before us is long, but Jesus is with us every step of the way – keep going strong, and know that God is always for you.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

How does the gospel enter into our guilt and shame as people who fail?  If I stop and consider what is going on inside my own heart when I choose to allow myself to be defined by past mistakes, or failures, ultimately what I am saying is that the death of Christ on the cross was not sufficient for me.  My unbelief, is masked by prideful self-loathing, such that it may even seem righteous outwardly, but this not so and is not the will of God.

We are all sinners.  We fail every day.  We see this in Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”   We see it again in Romans 3:11-12 – “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

This is the Word of God, exposing what is true of us, and inwardly our heart acknowledges the Truth of our iniquity and unrighteousness.  God did not leave us to wallow in guilt and shame though.  Romans 5:8 – “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  

My question for us all mid-stream here, is how has the gospel of Jesus dealt with your guilt for your sin, and the shame you may feel from being exposed or identified with your failures?  Romans 8:1 tells us – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  You are not the judge of your life, other people are not the judge of your life, Jesus is the judge of your life, and if He does not condemn you, why are you staying in unbelief judging yourself or allowing others to judge you?  I do not mean to increase anyone’s burden by adding something else to feel guilty for, but I do mean to challenge myself and us all to really believe the gospel.  Press the gospel into the spaces of your heart maybe it has not penetrated yet.  If there is unbelief, go to God in humble honesty and ask Him to help you believe and rest in His work on the cross for you.

This may be awkward in a reading format, but I’d encourage anyone if that resonates with you at all, don’t move on or keep reading, but stop here, close this out, and do business with God, asking Him to help give you freedom and peace through the gospel.

For those of you who have kept moving on, you need to repent of your hard heartedness, because we’re all in the bucket above!  Freedom in Christ comes through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Freedom comes from taking our eyes off ourselves and putting them on Jesus.  Freedom comes from seeing our sin, repenting of it, confessing it to our brothers, and quickly running back to the cross of Christ, where we see our perfect righteousness and identity in Christ crucified, our living hope.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

We’ve spent the past 7  messages looking at marks of Christian growth in a faith that is active.  At the end of that passage, Peter turns to encourage us as the hearers that if those qualities are at work in you by faith, God wants you to have peace in the assurance of your salvation.  Likewise, if those qualities are not at work in you by faith, he wants us to hear that you are in great danger of falling away from God (if indeed your faith is real) and into the devastation that comes with a life lived apart from God.  Likewise, if those qualities are not active in you, you should not have assurance of your salvation.  This should be a fearful thought for those who fear God, but is actually said in love in the hope that those who are far from God will awaken to see the goodness of God and root their hearts anew in the love of God towards us in Jesus.

2 Peter 1:8-11 – “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

We all hear stories of pastors being caught up in situations they should not have been.  We all know Christians who are not living out their faith as maybe they once did.  I’ve definitely been there in my own life, and I do not feel like I am alone, or God would not have this word for us in scripture.  So what’s happened?  At some point, those people stopped stopped being diligent in their faith.  They coasted, or compartmentalized part of their life, believing such a thing was possible.  They neglected the ongoing renewal of our minds in the knowledge of God, in faith in the finished work of Christ, and pressing forward towards God in living out their faith.

Although God is faithful to redeem and restore those who are in Christ by faith, His desire is for us never to depart.  Although we know nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:35), God’s best desire is for us to rest and find peace in Him daily.  The marks of Christian growth began with faith and ended in love.  Are those active in your life today?  Are you pursuing greater knowledge of who God is regularly?  How is your faith applied to the situations in your life?  What areas of your life/faith are you growing in/focusing on?  Today, how assured are you of your salvation?  Why or why not?  What evidence of your faith in Jesus do you see working itself out in your life?

Whatever the answer, the love of God towards you through Jesus Christ, desires your heart to find joy in your assurance your salvation.  Not in a false assurance, but in an assurance that is rooted in faith and love, being worked out in your life over time, as each of us presses on towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Stay encouraged in the promises of God from His Word, stay surrounded by fellow brothers and sisters for mutual encouragement, and stay encouraged in the love of God towards you in Jesus.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

We started down this path in 2 peter 1 looking at how our faith is the foundation for all that God calls us to in this life.  What does your mind believe about Jesus?  Not just what you think you should believe – if your life depended on it (which is does) what do you believe about the nature of God, and your salvation in Jesus.  What does your heart say about Jesus and how do you desire His will instead of what the world could offer?  When we speak of faith, this is the depth and rootedness of faith we’re striving for.

The outworking of that faith is seen in our moral excellence, our pursuit of more knowledge of God, self-restraint, perseverance in the fight for faith, a pursuit of seeking and manifesting the glory of God in our lives, and an earnest desire to see growth of faith and good of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  The end of all of these things is love.  This is not a romantic kind of love, but it is the very love of God towards us in Christ, who gave His life for others, even those who mocked Him on the way to the cross.

As Christians, our behavior speaks to what we believe intellectually and what our heart desires.  Instead of focusing simply on outward behavior, which can be modified at least temporarily with sufficient incentive, what if we started asking ourselves different questions?  Is my behavior towards this person loving the person in a way that is gracious, merciful and reflect the will of God?   What if our goal wasn’t just to do or not do something, but to see the love of God manifested through us to the world and people around us?

Put another way, you can be a moral person, and yet have no faith in Jesus and no real love for others.  On the contrary, if you have faith in Jesus and love others, you may commit acts of immorality temporarily or during a period of backsliding, but when your faith is active and moving, the love you have for others will bear fruit far greater than mere moral obedience would ever muster.  People don’t need us, they need Christ in us.  Our loved ones don’t need us, they need the love of Christ in us.  This is what we strive for in our Christian walk.

I’m going to close with a passage from Romans 12 which is similar to this passage in 2 Peter, except it flips it around and starts with what true love looks like from faith, and breaks that down into how that overflows in our lives.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

My exhortation is the same – from a mind that believes God, and a heart that loves Him, let your love be genuine to others.  As we strive forward in this regard, failing at times, know that the love of God towards us in Christ has given us grace upon grace to cover all our sin.  He loves us, and so we are able to love others.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection (2 Peter 1:2-7)

Last time we looked at God’s desire for us to find our joy in Him, by allowing every aspect of our lives to have in view the glory of God.  Today’s message is short, because for anyone seriously pursuing God with their life, one thing will be apparent – it is hard.  There will be times when you fall, there will be trials and struggles, and there will be times when you do not feel joy in your relationship with God as you once did.  So our call to brotherly affection is an overflow of our own pursuit of God, knowing that we all are in need of help and encouragement.

We’re called to know others, and be known.  Nothing about following Christ is meant to be private.  Someone whose faith is private is a person whose faith is dying.  As God exists in community within the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) – we’re called to do the same with the Church.  Risk being vulnerable with other believers who can encouraged you in the grace of God through Jesus.  Help one another, knowing that no one is meant to endure the trials of this broken world alone, but God has given us His people as a means of grace.  I hope you have people in your life who are a help to you in your walk of faith.  More than that even, I hope that you are that person for others.  God has uniquely gifted each of us, that we can serve the body of believers in Christ, and no one is unimportant – we all need each other.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness

As we by faith are seeking the Lord in steadfastness, at some point we arrive at a point where we recognize that we are more than just people pursuing moral purity, we are reaching up to feel the depth of joy in worship of the Lord.  Godliness is the pursuit of God in all things.  In every aspect of our lives, in every relationship we’re seeking God to be glorified.

If virtue includes acting in such as a way as God would act in a situation, Godliness extends to the motivations of our heart.  We are pursuing not just a moral life, but a life of worship in joy.

The pastor of my church, Matt Chandler, has given this example a few times – Even a non-Christian can enjoy a steak, and enjoy a good glass of wine, but for the Christian, there is always more joy to be found.  For us, we see that every good thing is a gift of God, and so not only are we delighting in the taste of the steak and wine, but we are rejoicing in the Giver, who designed our taste buds so that we could enjoy these things, we are rejoicing in God who has provided the meal, and we are looking forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb in eternity, the more perfect meal that awaits us in glory.  The capacity of a Christian for joy far exceeds the non-Christian.

So it is with Godliness.  We seek to bring God to the forefront of our work, our marriages, our friendships, our finances, so that in all things we are seeking the glory of God with joy.

My encouragement to you today, is to begin to practice Godliness.  I say begin, because for many Christians, this is not already a pattern of your life.  Bring God into situations as often as possible, with your greater intimacy and joy with Him as a goal in view.  In so doing, you will strengthen your own faith, not out of compulsion, but joy.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

2 Peter 1 2-6 – “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness”

When God speaks of steadfastness here, it is right in the middle of the list of virtues for Christian growth.  I don’t think that is an accident.  If I could have one hope for myself and my brothers and sisters in Christ who are following after God today, it would be that their life would be marked by steadfastness.

Steadfastness is birthed out of faith, and a mind’s robust understanding and knowledge of God.  It is the ability of a heart’s affections and desires to be unmovable when life circumstances are difficult or when you are confronted with challenges to your faith.  It includes being able to return to Christ in repentance amidst your failures rather than running away from Him, because your heart is rooted in the promises of God in the gospel.

How do we do this?  If we believe that God is true, and that we are saved through Jesus, then we look first to what God has revealed to us.  Every day, bring your questions and brokenness to God, and read your Bible asking God to give you understanding and help.  Where you read in your Bible doesn’t matter nearly as much as simply coming to God in faith, asking Him to speak to you, and looking to His Word for Him to do it.  “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut 8:3/Matt 4:4)

Beyond this, God encourages our steadfastness with His people.  We seek out other Christians who know God’s Word, are submitting their lives to Him from it, and who can encourage us in the knowledge of God.  Ephesians 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  Don’t try to cultivate deep relationships with 10 people.  I can’t, you can’t.  Relationships take time and vulnerability.  This can’t happen with a large group, but it can with 2 or 3.  Make that a priority, and exercise judgment in who those people are – believing that these people are a gift of God, that He will use to sustain your faith.  

Stay encouraged, we never run this race alone, but God is with us and for us.  Look to Christ daily, and you will find your rest in Him.

Grace and Peace,

Adam