Growing up in church I was always kind of legalistic about ending my prayers to God with "in Jesus' name". Sometimes I even acted under the assumption that the more "Jesus names" I put to the end of my prayers, the more likely God was to hear them and answer me. I even felt as though I was disobeying God by not having the very last words of my prayers be "in Jesus' name".
"God please give me a good night's sleep tonight that I will feel rested for my Chemistry test tomorrow. In Jesus' name, Amen. Oh, and please give my Dad safe travel coming home tomorrow. In Jesus' name...and please bless my sister and the difficulties she's going through and my mom at work, that she would be able to be productive [insert dramatic pause as to ensure that the last 'Jesus name' was set apart from the first two] In JESUS' name, Amen."
"Mmm (I thought)...God's definitely gonna hear that one."
I'm sure I'm the only one who's ever done this though.
But the other day, I came across a passage in 1 Kings that made me rethink what all is truly being declared by the words "in Jesus' name"...
"Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah...And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." (1Ki. 15:1, 3-5)
For the sake of context, when the kingdom was divided following the reign of Solomon, two separate kingdoms were born: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. For the next 300+ years a grand total of 40 kings took the throne between the two kingdoms, only 8 of which walked in the way of the LORD and none of these were in the north. I say all of this simply to make the point that idolatry and wickedness over the course of those 340 years were not exceptional. They were the norm; and Abijam was no outlier to this pattern.
When we come across 1 Ki. 15 though, we see something interesting. God declares that, in spite of Abijam's sin, He will ensure that his son will sit on the throne of Judah, thus ensuring the continuation of the Davidic dynasty. And why does God extend His grace to Abijam like this?...Certainly not because of what Abijam's done, but "for David's sake".
No king throughout Isarel's history ever surpassed that of David, yet God's purpose for him was not intended to cease following his death. He was meant to be a model...a shadow of what was to come...an image of Israel's coming Messiah (Isa. 11:1, 10; Matt. 1:1; 9:27).
When we declare that it is in Jesus' name that we pray to God the Father, we are making the statement that it is not on account of our own actions that God would incline Himself to us, but on account of another's...on account of His Son, who, coming to earth, took the divine wrath and punishment that we rightfully deserve for all of our wickedness and idolatry (1 Cor. 5:21). Jesus took God's wrath and died because of it; but then He didn't stay dead. Three days later He rose from the grave for our justification (1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 4:25). So that now, anyone who puts their faith in the atoning blood of Jesus will be saved (Acts 4:11-12; Rom. 8:1). It's for the sake of Jesus that we can have a relationship with God (Gal. 4:4-5).
If you've put your faith in Jesus, I pray that this would stir your affections for Him and fuel the joy His Spirit has placed in you for Him (2 Cor. 1:24; Php 1:25; Heb. 10:24).
If you haven't made this decision, I pray that you would take a serious look at this man Jesus. No one changed history like He did. His followers have grown from 12 to the #1 largest religion in the world over the past 2,000 years; and He claimed to be God (Matt. 16:15-17; Mk 16:61-62; Jn 8:58-59 w/ Ex. 3:14). Regardless of what you believe, you have to deal with this man.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Battling A Desire For Sin
Desire...
This is the biblical root of temptation (James 1:14). When we get caught up in sin that we can't break away from, it's because that sin is what we are finding to be most desirable in our eyes. The key to battling sin is not primarily a matter of repeating to ourselves, "I'm not gonna think about it. I'm not gonna think about it. I'm not gonna think about it." This is strictly a defensive strategy and it's targeted not at the problem, but at the side affect of the problem.
The problem is that we, in that moment of sin, forget the objective fact that God is infinitely more desirable, more lovely, more joy-enhancing than this sin in our lives. It's a perspective issue.
Take marital unfaithfulness for example...
When two people get married, the last thing going through either of their minds, while standing there on the altar, is the desire for a different spouse. So how does marital unfaithfulness occur? Simple. One spouse begins to position themselves in a way where they can forget the desire they had for the other spouse. They scan facebook for an old boyfriend/girlfriend. They message them to see how things are going. They begin to vocalize intimate problems in their lives and pour out their heartaches to this other person (something they should be doing with their spouse). They meet for coffee. They adjust their schedule so as to "accidentally" run into the other person over the course of the week.
What they don't do is plan dates with their spouse. They decrease the amount of communication with their spouse. They cease to treat their spouse as they did when they were first dating. They stop reminding themselves of what they love about their spouse. They think only of the negatives in their marriage.
Battling sin is not much different. I'm grateful to John Piper for much of what I've learned on this subject. Our primary weapon in battling sin is to intentionally and continuously fight to position ourselves in a way where we can fully enjoy God and be reminded of His objective and sovereign goodness above everything else that screams the lie "I am more lovely!" in this world. When we cease to position ourselves in a way where we can more fully enjoy our Creator, we are inadvertently positioning ourselves for a fall to sin. There is no neutral. There is only forward or backward.
Subsequently, this is the motivation behind all spiritual discipline in the Christian life. When we set apart time to spend in God's Word, our motivation should not be "Because I'm suppose to"... Our hope and motivation is to be "Because God is objectively the supreme JOY and BEAUTY in the universe."Consequently, this is the motivation that sent Jesus to the cross (Heb 12:2).
Above all though, we pray. Because as Ben Stuart once illustrated, our strategy in our battle against sin is similar to building a fire: We clear an area. We place the logs. We position the kindling. But in the end, it's the Holy Spirit of God who must light the flame. So we pray, "God, stir my affections for You. Open my eyes to see that You are objectively the most desirable thing in the universe; more desirable than anything this world has to offer me."
This is the biblical root of temptation (James 1:14). When we get caught up in sin that we can't break away from, it's because that sin is what we are finding to be most desirable in our eyes. The key to battling sin is not primarily a matter of repeating to ourselves, "I'm not gonna think about it. I'm not gonna think about it. I'm not gonna think about it." This is strictly a defensive strategy and it's targeted not at the problem, but at the side affect of the problem.
The problem is that we, in that moment of sin, forget the objective fact that God is infinitely more desirable, more lovely, more joy-enhancing than this sin in our lives. It's a perspective issue.
Take marital unfaithfulness for example...
When two people get married, the last thing going through either of their minds, while standing there on the altar, is the desire for a different spouse. So how does marital unfaithfulness occur? Simple. One spouse begins to position themselves in a way where they can forget the desire they had for the other spouse. They scan facebook for an old boyfriend/girlfriend. They message them to see how things are going. They begin to vocalize intimate problems in their lives and pour out their heartaches to this other person (something they should be doing with their spouse). They meet for coffee. They adjust their schedule so as to "accidentally" run into the other person over the course of the week.
What they don't do is plan dates with their spouse. They decrease the amount of communication with their spouse. They cease to treat their spouse as they did when they were first dating. They stop reminding themselves of what they love about their spouse. They think only of the negatives in their marriage.
Battling sin is not much different. I'm grateful to John Piper for much of what I've learned on this subject. Our primary weapon in battling sin is to intentionally and continuously fight to position ourselves in a way where we can fully enjoy God and be reminded of His objective and sovereign goodness above everything else that screams the lie "I am more lovely!" in this world. When we cease to position ourselves in a way where we can more fully enjoy our Creator, we are inadvertently positioning ourselves for a fall to sin. There is no neutral. There is only forward or backward.
Subsequently, this is the motivation behind all spiritual discipline in the Christian life. When we set apart time to spend in God's Word, our motivation should not be "Because I'm suppose to"... Our hope and motivation is to be "Because God is objectively the supreme JOY and BEAUTY in the universe."Consequently, this is the motivation that sent Jesus to the cross (Heb 12:2).
Above all though, we pray. Because as Ben Stuart once illustrated, our strategy in our battle against sin is similar to building a fire: We clear an area. We place the logs. We position the kindling. But in the end, it's the Holy Spirit of God who must light the flame. So we pray, "God, stir my affections for You. Open my eyes to see that You are objectively the most desirable thing in the universe; more desirable than anything this world has to offer me."
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Resurrection and Rescue
I remember one Easter back in college, wondering why it was so important for Christ to have risen from the dead...Now, I know, "Dane, you're a Christian, how can you ask such a foundational question?! Your ignorance is borderline 'social-christian' taboo!"
Ya...sorry.
So anyway, I was listening to a podcast by Ben Stuart one afternoon while at the gym and he explained this issue to the very joy of my being...The resurrection is not merely a Christian tradition, but the very evidence that Jesus' death on the cross was a satisfying substitution for us in the eyes of God. Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was "raised for our justification". In other words: No resurrection...No salvation. The example Stuart gave (paraphrased) was this...
How do you know when a criminal locked in prison has served his sentence? How do you know that his debt to mankind has been paid in full? Answer: The jail doors open, and the former prisoner walks out. When Christ died on the cross, three days later, the doors of death opened, and He walked out. The debt had been paid in full, and the offer of salvation to all mankind was now on the table.
This is the capstone to the Gospel.
The Bible says that all mankind is broken (Romans 3:23). It's not a matter of failing to do the 'right things'. It runs much deeper than that. We are not people who commit sins...we are sinners. There is a brokenness in each and every one of us. We are bent toward wickedness. We are infected with a sickness; and as such deserve to be destroyed. A good and holy God cannot accept anything but holiness and perfection. We have failed.
But God, in His love, sent His son Jesus to take the divine wrath, which we rightfully deserve, for us (John 3:16). Jesus became our substitute (1 John 2:2). He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we would not have to. He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we could enjoy the benefits of sonship and daughtership with God (Galatians 4:4-5). And then, on the third day, He rose from the grave, testifying that the debt had indeed been paid.
If you are not a christian, this is the essence of Christianity. It's not a matter of morality, it's a matter of rescue (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can't fix what's wrong with us; and God knows that. He has made a way and it's available to everyone. No matter your past or your present. He doesn't speak scornfully, "Get your crap together first, and then maybe we'll talk."No...all He says is "Come as you are...and I will make you clean." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Ya...sorry.
So anyway, I was listening to a podcast by Ben Stuart one afternoon while at the gym and he explained this issue to the very joy of my being...The resurrection is not merely a Christian tradition, but the very evidence that Jesus' death on the cross was a satisfying substitution for us in the eyes of God. Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was "raised for our justification". In other words: No resurrection...No salvation. The example Stuart gave (paraphrased) was this...
How do you know when a criminal locked in prison has served his sentence? How do you know that his debt to mankind has been paid in full? Answer: The jail doors open, and the former prisoner walks out. When Christ died on the cross, three days later, the doors of death opened, and He walked out. The debt had been paid in full, and the offer of salvation to all mankind was now on the table.
This is the capstone to the Gospel.
The Bible says that all mankind is broken (Romans 3:23). It's not a matter of failing to do the 'right things'. It runs much deeper than that. We are not people who commit sins...we are sinners. There is a brokenness in each and every one of us. We are bent toward wickedness. We are infected with a sickness; and as such deserve to be destroyed. A good and holy God cannot accept anything but holiness and perfection. We have failed.
But God, in His love, sent His son Jesus to take the divine wrath, which we rightfully deserve, for us (John 3:16). Jesus became our substitute (1 John 2:2). He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we would not have to. He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we could enjoy the benefits of sonship and daughtership with God (Galatians 4:4-5). And then, on the third day, He rose from the grave, testifying that the debt had indeed been paid.
If you are not a christian, this is the essence of Christianity. It's not a matter of morality, it's a matter of rescue (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can't fix what's wrong with us; and God knows that. He has made a way and it's available to everyone. No matter your past or your present. He doesn't speak scornfully, "Get your crap together first, and then maybe we'll talk."No...all He says is "Come as you are...and I will make you clean." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Friday, June 21, 2013
When Worlds Fall Apart
When our worlds are falling apart...Where do we turn? What do we seek for? Do we look for comfort? Do we grasp at familiar pleasures to dull our pain or the sense of being completely overwhelmed? What do we reach for?
When trials appear as giants, we need to be reminded of their true size in light of the One who has sovereignly and lovingly (Heb 12:7-11) appointed their very existence and presence in our lives (Lam 3:37-38). We need to be reminded of how big God is. We don't need a guilty pleasure or temporary joy...We need a reminder. We need a perspective.
"God is our strong refuge;
he is truly our helper in times of trouble.
For this reason we do not fear when
the earth shakes,
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
when it's waves crash and foam,
and the mountains shake before the surging sea. (Selah)
The river's channels bring joy to the city of God,
the special, holy dwelling place of the sovereign One.
God lives within it, it cannot be moved.
God rescues it at the break of dawn.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.
God gives a shout, the earth dissolves.
The LORD who commands armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob is our protector! (Selah)
Come! Witness the exploits of the LORD,
who brings devastation to the earth!
He brings an end to wars throughout the earth;
he shatters the bow and breaks the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, 'Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!
I will be exalted over the nations!
I will be exalted over the earth!'
The LORD who commands armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob is our protector! (Selah)"
-Psalm 46
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
How I Make God's Grace Cheap
"We exaggerate our strengths, hide our mistakesThat's a bad place, cuz we only make his grace cheap" -KB (Song "Don't Mean Much")
This quote by the Christian Hip-Hop artist KB has caused me to stop and think more than once about my mindset when it comes to the Christian life...How often I try to put on a facade ...make it look like I've got everything under control...maintain the cleaned, ironed, and pressed "Dane Miodov" for the world to see...
The truth of the matter though is that I'm a wreck...
More than often I find myself surrendering to fear when God brings opportunities my way to extend His love to those needing it...
More than often I find myself seeking lesser joys than the Joy that comes through a living relationship with the One God through Jesus Christ...
Fueled by anxiety, I struggle to "get things together" before my true colors are unveiled...
The truth of the matter though, is that all of this, does nothing but make the grace of God and His miraculous life-changing work in me cheap...inexpensive...mediocre...common...
My God is more loving and gracious than words can even communicate. Every day I make mistakes, choosing myself over God. And yet...
God has never left me and He never will (Heb 13:5). In fact He has continued to seek me, change me, and love me, turning my heart from me to Him. To hide my faults and mishaps is to steal and minimize the unfathomable glory of God shown through His mercy and love in my life thereby creating a small god who is dependent on me to fix me. This is not the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and take the divine wrath and judgment for us that we KNOW we deserve (Galatians 3).
Praise be to God for such great grace! Help me to not make it cheap Father.
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