Powerful Truth
Not sure how many really caught Dave's message last weekend, but it's still reverberating in my soul. I think he took my charge two weeks ago that "the gospel can help you with that" and gave it some clarification and practical application.
For those who missed it, Dave covered Galatians 2:11-21 in our series over the book of Galatians. After explaining some hard to understand verses in the section, he camped on verse 20 which is one of my life verses. It says,
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."
Dave made the statement, "A man on a cross faces in only one direction. There's no turning back."... or something like that. Then he posed a question,
"Why do people gravitate back to the law and good works as a requirement for salvation?"
This is where he really nailed it. Dave said what none of us want to hear and, I'm sure, none of us want to believe. He said the reason why we so readily turn to our own efforts for sanctification is because "we don't want to admit that we are horrible rebels, deserve hell, and are without hope of reform." We all feel like there is some amount of worthiness in us and if we just walk in that enough we will earn some degree of righteousness.
Listen to what is said in a Galatians study that was made available to the lifegroup leaders:
"...we are not acceptable to God because we actually become righteous. We become actually righteous because we are acceptable to God."That's why in Christ we are free! By his amazing grace, he has accepted us just as you are... NO CHANGE REQUIRED! As we embrace that, we are then free to "act in line with the truth of the gospel" (2:14) without it being a law or some kind of obligation. And we are also free to look at our "issues" without fear of disapproval or judgment. We have already been justified, so no worries!
This truth is really hitting home for me right now as I personally struggle with my own weaknesses and failings. Criticisms of my teaching (explicit and implicit), questions about my leadership ability, and my personal sorrow over events with the Linden team and the Swinton's going off staff have not just run off my back. I'm thinking, "Maybe I'm not as effective in campus ministry as I had hoped and dreamed."
I think sometimes people think pastors are rocks and they can step on them and over them without worrying about it. Sometimes I've thought that of myself... silencing my fears and sorrows for the sake of the gospel. I'm now seeing God's grace more clearly. I'm allowing myself to see that God loves and justified "a wretch like me". It's not so bad to look inside through the lens of God's grace. In fact, it's kinda freeing.
Comments
Thanks Tim for building on Dave's wonderful message.
Seeing myself through the lens of God's grace is freeing.
May I quote you on my blog?
Posted by: Dan B. at October 2, 2007 11:44 AMKnock yourself out, Dan. It was great see you and your family last Friday. You're in my prayers.
Posted by: Tim at October 2, 2007 04:09 PMTwo words:
A. Men. (okay one word).
All around. How true. Meditating on God's grace, Christ's sufficiency has been cathartic to my soul recently. I fail, a lot. I fall short, always. Thank God that my personal worth and stance before God, and before men, really... which shouldn't matter to me... I believe Paul gets there in Galatians... (I've been reading ahead ;))... has nothing to do with my performance, skill, ability, gifting, effect, fruit... but only my relationship to Him matters.
How awesome.
Thanks for writing this. Now to download Dave's teaching...
Thanks for sharing, Tim:) I appreciate your transparency and your example of personal application of those Truths. The part of the message I keep thinking about is, "It's safe to be a sinner in the presence of God. We are accepted."
I've been studying in the Word with a couple girls in the dorms and what it has to say about how to be saved, can we know for certain, assurance of salvation, etc... it's the most basic stuff... and I almost can't believe how refreshing it has been to my soul to immerse myself in those basic Truths once again.