Our Great God

The Humble Man

For My hand made all these things,

Thus all these things came into being, declares the Lord.

But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and

Contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:2

For thus says the high and exalted One

Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,

"I dwell on a high and holy place,

And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the lowly

And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 57:15

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says,

"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore,

I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so the the power

of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with

weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,

with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

II Corinthians 12:9-10

...whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving

by the strength which God supplies...

I Peter 4:11b

The humble man is an empowered man.



The Humble Man

"For My hand made all these things, thus all these

things came into being," declares the Lord.

"But to this one I will look, to him who is humble

and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Isaiah 66:2

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

When pride comes, then comes dishonor,

but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men

but as wise, making the most of your time, because the

days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but understand

what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Who among you is wise and understanding?  Let him

show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness

of wisdom...But the wisdom from above is first pure,

then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and

good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  And the

seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace

by those who make peace.

James 3:13, 17-18

The humble man is a wise man.

The Humble Man

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand

of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

I Peter 5:6

Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Psalm 37:11

The humble man is a blessed man.

The Humble Man

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,

but with humility of mind regard one another

as more important than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them,

"If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all

and servant of all."

Mark 9:35

The Job answered the Lord, and said,

"I know that You can do all things,

And that no purpose of Your can be thwarted.

Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my

eyes see You; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:1-6

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;

Nor do I involve myself in great matters,

Or in things too difficult for me.

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;

Like a weaned child rests against His mother,

My soul is like a weaned child within me.

Psalm 131:1-2

The humble man knows his place before God and before men.

The Humble Man

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also

in Christ Jesus...Being found in appearance as man,

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point

of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5, 8

Submit therefore to God.

James 4:7a

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand

of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

I Peter 5:6

Samuel said, "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt

offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."

I Samuel 15:22

"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

Luke 6:46

The humble man is an obedient man.

The Humble Man

For a day in Your courts is better

than a thousand outside.

Psalm 84:10a

"If anyone wishes to come after Me,

he must deny himself, take up his cross

daily, and follow Me."

Luke 9:23

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.

Psalm 51:17a

Come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Psalm 95:6

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at
His footstool; holy is He.
Psalm 99:5

The humble man is a worshipping man.

The Humble Man

"For My hand made all these things,

Thus all these things came into being,"

declares the Lord.

But to this one I will look,

To him who is humble and contrite

of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:2

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God

produces a repentance without regret, leading to

salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow,

has produced in you:  what vindication of yourselves, what

indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging

of wrong!  In everything you demonstrated yourselves

innocent in the matter.

II Corinthians 7:10-11

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God,

You will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

The humble man is a contrite man.

The Humble Man

Open my eyes, that I may behold

Wonderful things from Your law.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,

And I shall observe it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may observe

Your law and keep it with all my heart.

Make me walk in the path of Your

Commandments for I delight in it.

  

Establish Your word to Your servant

As that which produces reverence for You.

You have dealt well with Your servant,

O Lord, according to Your word.

Psalm 119:18, 33-35,  38, 65

The humble man is a teachable man.



The Humble Man

He has told you, O Man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

"For My hand made all these things,

Thus, all these things came into being,"

declares, the Lord.

But to this one I will look, to him who

is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:2

 Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart upon

your bed and be still.

Psalm 4:4

But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness
I will enter Your house, at Your holy temple
I will bow in reverence for You.
Psalm 5:7

The humble man is a reverent man.

A Pastor's Prayer

Father, guard my heart and my mind.  Work within me

only that which is pleasing in Your sight. I am frail and weak

 in my own strength; so help me by the strength which

You supply to live a life worthy of the gospel of Your Son,

 and a life worthy of the calling with which I have been called.

  Help me to be an example to the flock, living a life worthy

 of admiration and imitation.  Guard me from my own self,

and give me a sensitivity to the sin which so easily entangles me.

  Help me to fight the good fight of faith and finish

my course without disqualification. 

AMEN.

A Pastor's Simple Prayer

Father, let not the sin in my own life

be an impediment, or an excuse, for those

in my flock in dealing with the sin in

their own lives.

A Pastor's Simple Prayer

Lord, help me to adorn the doctrine I preach

with the life that I live.



Sin and Death

But each one is tempted when he is carried away

and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has

conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is

accomplished, it brings forth death.

James 1:14-15

....The soul who sins will die.

Ezekiel 18:4b

Death is the constant companion of sin.  In fact, it is   

such a close companion that the two cannot be separated.

Christ came down to destroy the works of the devil.  The

works of the devil are sin and death; and the power of both

were broken in His crucifixion, and overcome by His resurrection.

Something We Can All Agree On

Kevin DeYoung shows us the different views from the three main branches of those who call themselves Christian, on the basis of authority. Very succinct.

Something We Can All Agree On

ONE THING

One thing

Keeping the main thing the main thing.

A Spirit of Social Consciousness

In his classic book, Knowing God, J I Packer speaks about the true spirit of social consciousness, where it originates, and what its desire should be.  The following is taken from that book, pages 63-64.  There is, of course, much wisdom and insight in what he says:

"We see now what it meant for the Son of God to empty himself and become poor.  It meant a laying aside of glory (the real kenosis); a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice and misunderstanding; finally, a death that involved such agony--spiritual even more than physical--that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it.  (See Lk 12:50 and the Gethsemane story).  It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely human beings, that they through his poverty might become rich.  The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross.  It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.

We talk glibly of the "Christmas spirit," rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning.  It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas.  And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year around.

It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians--I will be more specific:  so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians--go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human needs all around them, but (after a pious wish, and perhaps a prayer, that God might meet those needs) averting their eyes and passing by on the other side.  That is not the Christmas spirit.  Nor is it the spirit of those Christians--alas, they are many--whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and bringing up their children in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the submiddle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian, to get on by themselves.

The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob.  For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor--spending and being spent--to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others--and not just their own friends--in whatever way there seems need.

There are not as many who show this spirit as there should be.  If God in mercy revives us, one of the things he will do will be to work more of this spirit in our hearts and lives.  If we desire spiritual quickening for ourselves individually, one step we should take is to seek to cultivate this spirit. 'You know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich' (2 Cor 8:9).  'Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus' (Phil 2:5). 'I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart' (Ps 119:32)"

This section gives us great insight into where the true spirit of social consciousness resides, and what its motivation is.  Good food for thought as we consider this whole issue of social justice and what social consciousness should look like in the church.

The Social Consciousness, Social Justice, Bandwagon

In giving the current concern ie current emphasis on social justice more thought, it seems that somewhere along the line, in the church, there has been a bit of disconnect regarding social justice issues.  I am in no way attempting to play down the need for the church, as a whole, to have a social consciouness; nor to play down the importance of the church (made up of its individual members) pursuing, championing, and being involved in social justice concerns.  For example, I think the church (its individual members) should be active in opposing abortion, just as William Wilberforce was active in his opposition to the slave trade.  But social justice issues should not be the focus of the church (as a whole) nor the focus of individual churches. 

The concern for social justice issues should come as a result of the out-flowing of the love and mercy of God in the lives of each individual Christian.  This will naturally occur if the church keeps its focus on its main task, which is the making of disciples.  The main thrust of the earthly ministry of Jesus was not feeding the poor, healing the sick, casting out demons, or making the earthly lives of the Israelites better.  His focus was preaching the gospel to bring people into the kingdom and then teaching them to observe all He commanded them, as He was going on His way to the cross to pay for their sins...in other words, making disciples.  The mandate Christ gave to the church is to make disciples, and in doing so there will be all forms of ministry take place as the Spirit of Christ works out the life of Christ in and through His people.  The Church is not, and never has been, a one size fits all in regards to its ministries.

The more mature the Christian the more sensitive they are to the Holy Spirit; and when under the Spirit's leading they don't have to be guilt whipped, guilt tripped, coerced, or manipulated.  They will have the love and active compassion that will both compel and sustain a social justice ministry.

This was highlighted to me last fall when I was visiting a church in another city.  The whole service was geared towards a particular social justice issue, from the stage props, the song selections, all the way through the sermon.  It included cajoling, emotional appeals, and rank manipulation.  The little bit of Scripture that was used was pulled out of context so badly that it had absolutely no application.  Now, this particular church is admittedly a seeker oriented church.  Their empahsis is on "reaching" the unbeliever, so they deliberately don't teach doctrine.  When you are dealing with spiritually immature people at best, and dealing with people who have been led to believe that church is all about them, you are fighting against the selfishness that is ingrained in all of us; and the deck is pretty well stacked against you. That is why this church has to go to such a great lengths to get people involved in an issue that doesn't have to do with them.  In addition to this, this was the social justice issue that the leaders of the church had chosen for their church, so they were having to "sell" it to the congregation. 

The concern for social justice and the emphasis on developing a social consciousness is admirable, but, again, I think this is axiomatic in the maturation process of a Christian.  More important, however, is the concern not just for the physical well-being of those less fortunate, but the spiritual well-being and eternal destiny of those same people.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world (to be well-fed, well-clothed, well-educated, have clean drinking water, have a roof over his head, be sickness free, free from civil war, and prosperous) if he loses his soul and dies the eternal death?  What good is it for us to provide those things and not give them the bread of life and the living water of the Savior, so that they can be clothed in the eternal white robes of His righteousness? What good is it for them to have a roof over their head in this life, if they do not have a place prepared for them by Christ in the Father's mansion? We will do nothing but help them on their way to hell, better off physically, but still in spiritual famine, if we do not share the gospel with them as well.  They will enter the gates of hell a well-fed, well-educated, and well-clothed pagan having no hope and the grimmest possible eternity.

This whole social consciousness movement has its roots and its catalyst in Bono, yes, that Bono.  His concern for the plight of the Africans is admirable, but it is not a concern for their spiritual well-being, just a concern for their physical and social plight.  As he has gone around the world using his celebrity status to bring attention to the ills in Africa, having concerts and meeting with the UN and national leaders(even Christian leaders), it has caused of wave of social concern that has made its way into the church.  Now, again, I am not saying that we as the church should not be socially consciousness, on the contrary, we should be among the most socially conscious; but not at the expense or neglect of the gospel.  The church, in way too many instances, has adopted and is operating in the spirit of Bono, not in the Spirit of Christ.  When our concern is more for the physical and social welfare of the people rather than for their spiritual condition; when our concern is more for their temporal well-being rather than their eternal well-being, then we are operating in the spirit of Bono, and not in the Spirit of Christ. When physical and social concerns trump eternal concerns, the church has jumped on the wrong bandwagon, and it needs to wake up and get off.

My other concern about this social justice bandwagon is that it is fueled by being the in cause du jour, and when the next in cause comes along it will die a quick death.  Then what witness will that leave for the church?  Instead, let us get on the bandwagon of spiritual maturity, not of life change, but of Christ-likeness.  Let us seek to walk in love, as He walked in love, and see what effects that has on our life, and our attitudes and actions towards others.  Let our compassion be fueled by the love and compassion of Christ, and be guided by the Holy Spirit, in response to the calling of God and the assumption of the stewardship of a God given ministry.

Social Consciousness, Social Justice, and the Church

It seems, that among many, social consciousness has become not only the new mantra, but also the new litmus test for the church. David Platt's new book "Radical" has been the buzz as of late and has supposedly stepped on many a toe regarding this issue.  As with most bandwagons, those who have climbed aboard the social consciousness/social justice bandwagon:

               1. Don't understand why everyone doesn't see it the
                   same way they do.
               2. Stand in judgment of those who aren't on the bandwagon.
               3. Feel morally superior because they are on the bandwagon.
               4. Are overemphazing one area of ministry to the
                   detriment of others.

In my mind, the issue is not what is the church doing or not doing, but what is each one of us doing, personally, right where God has put us here in the US? Each community has its own share of the poor, and each church has its own share of the poor.  It is easy to beat the drum and chide the church, while we are doing nothing personally. What about the poor in our own churches, are we looking for ways to help them, do we even know who they are? And when we know who they are, do we look for ways to assist, giving directly out of our own personal means? Not to be jaded, but I have seen far too many on the social concious band-wagon get all worked up about Africa, Asia, Appalachia,etc, while ignoring the people right under their nose.

Another note, pastorally, this is why Paul admonished Timothy to preach the word, in season and out with mega patience and instruction. People very rarely change in one sermon or one sermon series, or one book. We can put the guilt whip/guilt trip on them to get them to respond for the moment, but the conformational process takes time, and it is way too easy for us as pastors to become impatient and frustrated when the results we are wanting to see aren’t immediately visible.

God typically works at the speed of life and at the pace of people, and still is ultimately sovereign over the lives of all people. Jesus did not heal every disease, cast out every demon, or feed all of the poor as He could do nothing of His own initiative because He sought not His own will, but only the will of Him who sent Him (John 5:30).

We should have a heart of compassion, and be merciful; we need to be generous and ready to share (past what we give to the church/ministries) and rich towards God. This comes about as we move forward in maturity, walk more in love, and become less self-seeking. Selfishness (and we are all selfish pigs) gives way slowly. So let’s have zeal and passion, but temper that with wisdom about the way people truly are, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart, and turn people off with our frustration or condemning attitude.

Matthew 22:36-37

“Teacher, which is the great commandment

in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall

love the Lord your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

This love that Christ is speaking about is a personal love, an intimate love, a relational love. This love grows out of our knowledge of Him and is basic to our relationship with Him.

To love our God with all our heart, soul, and mind is an unfettered love, a love without restraint, a love without hesitation. It is a full on frontal embrace without reservation and without self-consciousness. It is a love that fully engages the object of its love. It is a love that knows it is accepted and a love that knows it is safe. Therefore it is a love that trusts and a love of confidence; and as such is a love of commitment, and a commitment that entails and engages our total person.

This is a love that brings the fullness of joy; the deep and abiding joy that in and of itself is a source of strength. This joy is not subject to circumstance, but seems to thrive in the worst of circumstances. It is a joy that cannot be shaken, because its foundation is a trusting and confident love involving the entire person, soul, heart, and mind; and the object of this love is Himself immovable, unshakeable, unspeakably good, eternal, immortal, unchanging, and our soul knows it very well.

Let us journey on, let us press on, to know our God and our Lord better…more deeply and more completely. It is in knowing Him and growing in our knowing of Him that our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper; and in this and through this our lives are enriched and we truly experience the real abundant life.