I have Decided to Follow Jesus … Because …

Last Sunday during worship we sang the classic hymn–I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, and it sparked a conversation between my wife and me about how we are able to follow Jesus. The song is a great declaration of committment. The story behind the song grabs your soul and holds it. Yet, to those who do not know the love of Jesus, who do not understand the Gospel, they may see this song as s a silly, trite Christian tune lacking depth and reasoning with the sole purpose of stirring emotions. To the unbelieving world the depth of this confession of committment is similar to choosing to follow a sport’s team. Meaning, it is just a personal choice that I’ve made at the moment. Honestly, I don’t expect anything different, after all it is only because of the Spirit of God that I want to follow Jesus. Without the Spirit of Christ within, this would be nonsense.

Those who know their Savior and know the Scriptures, this declaration to follow Jesus Christ is a work that was begun in them by the One whom they follow. They declare and follow because He started it all. He has effectually called each of us, and we have responded. As Romans 9 rhetorically asks, Who can resist His will?

The peace and joy that comes from knowing that the work of redemption is within me, within each child of God, originates from God. His work of salvation begins with Him and He has promised to complete the work within me.

Philippians 1:6  being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Recognizing that God is First–the Great Initiator:

Because He chose me, I chose Him.

Because He called me with an effectual call, I responded and follow Him.

Because He gave me faith  to believe, I believe.

Because He humbled me and showed me my sin in light of His holiness and His Law, I was given a sorrowful soul and repented.

Because He drew me to Himself by His Spirit, I turned to Him.

Because He opened my eyes, I see Him.

Because He forgave me even before I wanted to be forgiven, I am forgiven.

Because He loved me, even though I did not love Him, I am able to love Him.

Romans 5:6-11  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Thank You, God. Forever I will offer praise. Amen.

Healing for a Broken Spirit

The following quote is from my novel “A Reason to Pray at Mountainview“:

He [Mark Torrell] had dozed off in the chapel praying for his family and to ask God … again … for forgiveness, something that he has never been able to accept from God. And again he found that neither medication, sleep, nor a religious setting was strong enough to quiet his soul and to remove the shame that kept him enslaved to his past sins.

“I guess it’s only right that God wouldn’t hear me, and I guess that it would only be right to let me die. I know that I deserve to, I just hope …”

Common Struggles

I’m sure that all of us can relate to Mark Torrell, in that he had more than one crisis hit him at the same time. We may differ in our situations, but we all know that life doesn’t pull any punches. Mark’s punches were coming at him faster and harder, and his spirit was getting weaker with each punch. The hardest punches were leaving him beat up and broken. They were guilt, shame, and regret. These three were leaving him flat on the mat, deterring him from praying and discouraging him from believing. The longer he was kept down, the more fear and hopelessness were taking their toll on of his life.

For Mark, his weak spirit was rooted in his past. It was a past that continued to work against him to keep him from finding the peace of God’s presence and from holding on to God’s promises. Yet Mark is not an isolated prisoner to the past. Is there anyone who has not found themselves confronted with a past that tries to condemn and even break them? Perhaps you, or someone you know, has a past that is haunting you and deterring you from living in the joy and peace of Christ. The effects of a broken spirit reach further into our lives than we would ever expect. When a person begins sliding downward, it becomes more and more difficult to stop and turn around. If we don’t learn to address our past, we may find ourselves more like Mark.

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV) — The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?

John Piper, addressing Proverbs 18:14:

“…if the spirit is broken, if our hearts are downcast, if our soul is flat like a deflated beach ball, what can you do? The very will is broken; the flags of our affection just hang there with no wind to unfurl them.”

This quote reminds us of a dire need that is often neglected, which is the care of our spiritual health. A strong spirit gives hope and encouragement; it sustains us through life’s struggles, and is able to find traction to walk with the Lord. John Piper went on to say:

“If our hearts are strong in the Lord, if our soul is refreshed, we can endure the pain of the body.”

Finding Healing for a Broken Spirit

“The Gospel is the difference-maker, all the difference in heaven and earth.” (From “A Reason to Pray at Mountainview“)

Jesus delights in healing broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. God is glorified in healing brokenness. That is what He does. Who else can? Drugs? Therapy? An adrenalin rush? Entertainment? Only the Maker of the spirit can heal a broken spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings healing, peace, cleansing, love, and forgiving. The Gospel is what the human heart needs.

Psalm 147:3  (NKJV) — He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Charles Spurgeon encourages:

His deep sympathy with mourners is a special mark of his goodness. Few will associate with the despondent, but Jehovah chooses their company, and abides with them till he has healed them by his comforts. He deigns to handle and heal broken hearts: he himself lays on the ointment of grace, and the soft bandages of love, and thus binds up the bleeding wounds of those convinced of sin. This is compassion like a God. Well may those praise him to whom he has acted so gracious a part. The Lord is always healing and binding: this is no new work to him, he has done it of old; and it is not a thing of the past of which he is now weary, for he is still healing and still binding, as the original hath it. Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal: uncover your wounds to him who so tenderly binds them up! (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, p. 415). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Jesus said,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

The Psalmist, David, knew where to run when overwhelmed and broken.

Psalm 61:1–2 — Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

It all goes back to the One who offers eternal life and liberty–Jesus Christ.

A Selfish Benefit of Prayer?

How many benefits are there? Com’ on, no one except God knows. I can give you one that I continually, regularly, and faithfully experience (extra adverbs for emphasis).

Recalibration

My personal preference for devotional time (Bible reading and prayer) is early in the morning. I love the quiet mornings; more of a Jed Clampett than a night owl. By starting my day off with devotions I get recalibrated. My mind and heart starts the day off focused on my God, and it helps me to see with an eternal perspective. All of this helps to get my priorities in line for the day as well see the Gospel afresh for the day.

The honest part is: I wish I could stay calibrated throughout the day. But as the insurance commercial reminds us, “Life comes at us fast.” Sometimes it is a challenge just to drive to work. As the day wears on the needs for re calibrating our heart, soul, mind, and …. (fill in the blank) becomes more obvious. We are messy lives, especially spiritually,  needing our Maker and Sanctifier to put our bubble back between the lines, level, and moving forward.

Challenges and temptations, successes and failures shout reasons for recalibration. “Here I am, Lord. I’m still a mess and I’m still broken.” I need my alone time with my Father, my Savior, and my Sanctifier—the Triune God. Discombobulated is not my preferred alternative state for the day.

“Oh God, You are my God; Earnestly I seek You.” Psalms 63:1a (NIV)

Do I think this is a selfish motive to pray? It is a God-given benefit of His grace. Therefore, the answer is: Nope.

Confession of Freedom in Christ

If you are In Christ, then you are free. You are free with an exclamation point. We need to be careful not to replace His exclamation point with a comma and add to what He did and Who He is for us. Don’t add requirements, rules, or yokes of bondage of human-works to the simple Gospel of Grace. It is by faith alone; grace alone, in Christ alone, … plus nothing!

John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

The “Indeed” is Christ’s exclamation point. Don’t add a “… yea but …”

 

A Confession of Freedom

Jesus, You set me free and I live in Your Grace …

So that I can enjoy You, my God and Savior;

So that I can bathe in Your Love, in Your kindness towards me, and drink from Your fountain of Life;

So that I can walk with You and talk with You in both the Good times and in my struggles and heartaches;

So that my flesh nature will grow weaker and more dim in its influence and voice;

So that I can become the child & son who You created me to be;

And so that I may know You, My God and Savior.

 

I live free from the fear of Your rejection;

Free from the fear of disappointing You;

Free from worrying if I’m good enough, strong enough, righteous enough, or religious enough.

Because I am not and I can’t be, and Jesus Christ is for me.

 

I live free to love You without wondering how You love me;

free to be just me, and I don’t have to strive to be like anyone else – to be a ‘cookie-cutter’ Christian;

I can live free from what others think about me because I know What You think about me.

free from Who religious people try to make me to be, which is like them;

free from trying to keep a list of requirement to be loved by You.

 

I am free to serve my God not because I have to, but because I can and want to serve You;

I am free from all requirements to be saved, to be accepted, and to walk with my Jesus;

I am free from my past, and that includes yesterday. I can enjoy the Now with my Savior and Father;

I no longer live under a yoke and in religious shackles, but in the Ocean of Grace.

That is why I boast in nothing but the Cross.

I am free… TO LIVE!

Recognizing Legitimate and Illegitimate Guilt, Shame, and Regret

The last two weeks I filled the pulpit for a pastor friend of mine. Keeping up this blog took a back seat, needless to say.  I’ve known the pastor for over a decade and he is a true shepherd through and through. I have preached from pulpits from the west coast to the east coast, both as a pastor and guest speaker, ministering God’s Word. When I’ve stood in front of a local body of believers who have a biblical shepherd who cares for them and disciples them in and according to the Scriptures, there is a freedom from the pulpit and a warmth and joy poured upon you from the congregation.

I have also preached in local churches where it was more difficult to deliver the Word of God than wade through a tar pit … wearing snowshoes.

The message I brought this last Sunday was out of 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 on the subject of Guilt, Shame, and Regret (GSR).  What’s more commonly tagged: “godly sorrow.” It is clear in the OT and NT that there is both a legitimate and illegitimate GSR. One leads to repentance and produces diligence, zeal, fear, and vindication among other godly responses, whereas Illegitimate GSR goes too far and will drown you (2 Cor. 2:7), smoother you, and drive you away from Christ.

Some of the common lies from illegitimate guilt, shame, and regret are:

  • Jesus won’t forgive you. You’ve gone too far.
  • You’ve committed the unpardonable sin.
  • God won’t listen to your prayers; you’re not worthy.
  • How could God love you after what you’ve done?
  • How could God love you after what has happened to you?

If you hear these lies, go to the Gospel. Don’t wait for Sunday morning. Don’t wait for a sign. Preach the Gospel to yourself and rely on the work of Jesus Christ.

A Third Side

There is another side, another approach/view of guilt, shame, and regret that sadly is alive in our American Christian culture.  It is popularized by the “positive gospel” preachers and by a miss understanding of who we become in Christ. It goes something like:  “If you feel guilty about something, rebuke it, ignore it, and cast it down because it is not of God.” Then a person is to make a quick confession of “There is therefore now NO condemnation …” from Romans 8:1. Basically, it is taught that “GSR is an attack on your faith and who you are in Christ.”  But the truth is the opposite of that statement.

  • One writer called this “Preaching a False-Positive.”
  • This type of theology denies sin.
  • I John 1:8-2:2 rebukes the believer who says they do not sin and/or has no sin.
  • This theology denies the propitiation of Christ.
  • It denies reality.

The Legitimate Work of Guilt, Shame, and Regret

All GSR should lead us to restoration at the Cross and that is where it should stop. If you are haunted or beaten up by GSR, then it has turned from legitimate GSR into a Mr. Hyde. If this is happening, preach the Gospel to your Mr. Hyde and “cling to the old rugged cross”—to the Gospel that saves.

Remember the promise:  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall receive comfort.”  This is speaking to the believer who mourns over his/her sin with GSR.  Sincere, heart-felt repentance includes accepting the guilt of your sin; being ashamed of your sin; and regretting your sinfulness. Faith in your repentance will bring comfort, restoration, and zeal.

“Evidence that you truly repented and sought Christ is that you are still repenting daily and seeking Christ.”