Many of you have asked for the quote on sanctification I read by John Calvin, so here it is … and don’t forget to bake a cake in honor of ol’ John’s 500th birthday on July 10.

“Sanctification is the process by which the believer increasingly becomes conformed to Christ in heart, conduct, and devotion to God.  It is the continual remaking of the believer by the Holy Spirit, the increasing consecration of body and soul to God.  In sanctification, the believer offers himself to God.  This does not come without great struggle and slow progress; it requires cleansing from the pollution of the flesh and renouncing of the world.  It demands repentance, mortification, and daily conversion. Justification and sanctification are inseparable.  To separate one from the other is to tear Christ in pieces; it is like trying to separate the sun’s light from the heat that light generates.  Believers are justified for the purpose of worshipping God in holiness of life.”

I believe that one of the signs of health in a church body is a willingness, even a desire, to hear hard things and engage in doing them.  If I’m right, then Leroy Chapel is a healthy place, because many of you have expressed to me in emails, phone calls, and in person your battles against the flesh, and it is one of the most encouraging things a pastor can hear.  Health is found in the battle, remember, not in the negotiations with the flesh.  Please keep a Biblical perspective on spiritual growth and maturity, here are the three ways I summarized it for us from the text …

1. Maturity is observed in the “big picture” over the course of time.

* It’s not being on fire for a few months or making huge commitments, but being tested in the fire and having stood steadfastly amidst much opposition with steady progress, not perfection … but progress.

2. Maturity is observed in the struggle, not having arrived. 

* I told you that I’m scared of the person in whom I never see the struggle.  The “I’m doing fine” responses betray that they aren’t.  There is either a heart of lies and self-deception, or too familiar a relationship with the flesh. Paul, the older and more mature he got, saw himself as the chief of sinners, still fighting as he did what he didn’t want to do and didn’t do what he wanted to do (Romans 7).  Old men still repenting … it’s a glorious thing! 

3. Maturity is observed in one’s growing love for Christ through the Spirit, not merely one’s distance from the “world”.

* There are plenty of people holding themselves to high external standards who are cold and lifeless to Christ, His Word, and living courageously by faith … don’t be one of them!

Stay in the battle with me my brothers and sisters and let us move forward by the power of the Holy Spirit,

Pastor Mark

Think some more on this quote from yesterday:

“Aggravating all of these areas (of legalism) is a class of people who have come to be known as “controllers.” These are people who are not willing to let you live your life before God as you believe He is leading you. They have all the issues buttoned down and have cast-iron opinions about all of them. These people only know black and white. There are no gray areas to them. They insist you live your Christian life according to their rules and their opinions. If you insist on being free to live as God wants you to live, they will try to intimidate you and manipulate you one way or another. Their primary weapons are “guilt trips,” rejection, or gossip. These people must be resisted. We must not allow them to subvert the freedom we have in Christ.” – Jerry Bridges

I dream of a church community so selflessly committed to serving one another in love (Galatians 5:13) that no needs go unmet, no one person carries the whole burden, edification rules the days, and the watching community stands amazed and eager to be loved like that.  It seems to me this is so much more than the standard church call to serve that leaves people feeling guilty, busy, and joyless.  It’s a call to know how loved you are.  

We live in a day where serving is “cool”, caring about developing countries is politically correct, and even celebrities seem committed to philanthropy, and for all of that I’m glad.  But, I would submit to you that it isn’t motivated by worship.  Worship comes from a heart that knows how unworthy you are, how gracious, loving, and compassionate God has been to you, and stands in the joy of redemption in awe of the cross.  If we are to give our lives as spiritual acts of worship (Romans 12:1-2) then our motivation must be nothing less than the Gospel love we’ve received.  If you get that, really get that, then to serve one another through love is the spring-loaded reaction.  If you don’t then out comes the “biting and devouring one another” of Galatians 5:15.  

Service that demands recognition, bristles at remedial tasks, or leaves one joyless is selfish service.  Do I ever serve selfishly?  Yeah, I fight the flesh that wants praise and prominence. But I desire so much more … and God is so gracious to supply the needed fuel to motivate real worship-filled service.  How else can I explain a sorrowful satisfaction over dealing with sinning brothers, or an exhausted joy over a full week of teaching?  Selflessness is a word I find hard to apply to myself, I know my sin far greater than anybody, but I also know the joy of worship in serving others through love because I know the love of the Gospel that rescued me from the fires of hell.  Jesus pulled me from the rubble of the fallen building I was trapped under … He secured my oxygen mask so I can now live to secure as many others as possible.  Join me friends in the fight to LIVE FREE, not indulging in the flesh, but indulging in the mission of loving others with a radical Gospel-love and so fulfilling the whole law (Galatians 5:14).

Love, love, love -

Pastor Mark

I love that the Apostle Paul cares about doctrine AND relationship.  I do too!  I’m thankful for the many who have expressed appreciation for the message yesterday, those who also care about the Church being a place of grace and truth.  May we all seek true relationships now made possible through the cross so that others may “become as we are” — free in Christ!

Why not just read this fabulous Tim Keller quote one more time …

“The gospel frees us from the need for people’s approval and adoration so that we can confront and anger the people we love, if that is what is best for them. And although it does not always work, this is the only kind of communication that really changes people. If you love a person so selfishly that you cannot risk their anger, you won’t ever tell them the truth they need to hear. If, on the other hand, you tell a person the truth they need, but with harshness and not with the agony of a lover, they won’t listen to it. But if you speak the truth with lots of love evident at the same time, there is a great chance that what you say will penetrate the heart and heal. A gospel-based ministry is marked by loving honesty, not spin, image and flattery.” – Tim Keller

Oh God, keep us from spin, image and flattery!

Pastor Mark

We honored our graduates yesterday in the services … and its just right to do so.  They (with some help from mom and dad) have done well to grow in knowledge and maturity, passing from childhood through adolescence  and on to adulthood.  Now, let the games begin!

College was my absolute favorite time of life.  God used it to shape my thinking, my relationships, and most of all my heart.  I will cherish those days in my own life, and the 10 years I had the joy of pouring into college students as they sought God on their own.  Here’s what I wanted to say to all of you graduates, but didn’t have the time.

1- I hear from so many of your parents these days that you struggle with a sense of entitlement.  The idea that you deserve something from them or from others.  You gotta stop that.  You do deserve something, it’s called hell, judgement, and the wrath of God.  Through Christ, you get life!  You’re not nearly as bad as everyone thinks you are … you’re worse.  I’m not being mean, just keenly aware of the capabilities of the 18-21 year old heart.  My exhortation number one to you is – flee your selfish spirit, don’t think of yourself higher than you ought, humble yourself.  There is a collegiate arrogance that is absolutely baffling to me.  Students who now think they know more than their professors, peers, and parents.  You don’t … yet.  So be the listener and learner.  This is heart attitude number 1!

2- That isn’t to say you shouldn’t question what you hear.  Question, be curious, work it out.  For too long you’ve blindly accepted what you’ve been told.  Sometimes with a trusting heart and other times out of apathy.  Flee the apathy and deepen the trust – but not just in people, but the Scriptures.  I don’t care what field you are going into – the Bible must yield truth and wisdom to your life and occupation.  It must be that which shapes your character and your career.  Wrestle with what your teachers teach, think carefully about why you believe what you believe.  I say all of that because I’m utterly confident that if you do, you will land on the rock solid foundation of the Word of God.  Christians need not sheepishly enter the academy, but courageously hold fast the Word of Truth.  Now is THE time to make sure your relationship with the Word of God is developed.  Build stronger and deeper that quiet time of yours, your practices of prayer, your journaling and Scripture memory.  I’ll never forget “my” spot behind my dorm where I met daily with God.  Find yours and don’t let the “dorm life” keep you from it.

3- Everyone bemoans the statistics of students entering college and abandoning the Church.  Prove ‘em wrong!  Many of the great movements of world missions were student movements, and many of the upstart businesses were creations of young creative thinkers, this is your time to make a difference – not just prepare to make a difference.  If you’re going away to school, make finding a Gospel-loving church as much a priority as figuring out where your classes are.  If you’re staying close to home, dive even deeper into serving the mission of Christ at your home church.  Put away childish things and be a churchman (or woman)!  It is the institution that God promises to bless.  Think big by thinking local (church) and global (mission).  Make it your aim to be a blessing to that church.  Don’t be the college students who sit in the back, never give a dime, and expect everyone to put on a show for them.  Don’t think you know more than the elders who have been serving for years, get up next to them and ask them to disciple you.  Maximize your college experience by living life in the church (as you live it in the dorms).

4- Have fun!  Guess what?  You can have fun without being immoral.  Don’t think this is the time to “try” everything your parents and small group leaders fought to keep you from while you were young.  Build strong, righteous, Godly convictions because they’re right and because they are the path to greatest joy!  Make it your aim to not have the “classic college story” where you have to apologize to your future spouse and kids for the way you behaved.  Build relationships that matter and that make you laugh.  I can’t even begin to record all the dorm life stories that flood into my mind right now, but I have nothing to be ashamed of either, so guard your heart and mind with the joy of the Lord.

5- LOVE GOD.  Ok, there it is, the classic pastor admonition.  Plenty of people, from King Solomon to St. Augustine have “tried” the pleasures of the world, and their conclusion?  They’re not that pleasing in the long run.  God is better!  The Gospel brings greater delight, the joy of the Lord surpasses the fleeting satisfactions of the world, so take a lesson from history and stick your love and loyalties close to the cross.

I commit to praying for you.  I invite you to call me, email me, FB me at anytime about anything that you think I can help you with.  May God fill your soul with pleasures forevermore as you seek His face!

Enjoy Life,

Pastor Mark

Well, we’re in a section of Galatians so rich in Gospel theology that it certainly begs the question, How do I listen to theology and have my heart be lifted high in worship and exaltation?  Glad you asked.  Let me suggest a few ways:

1- Worship and the affections are always to be anchored and inspired by Biblical truth, so first off, hearing the glories of justification by faith offer the very bedrock of truth from where your heart should sing and your emotions rise.  This teaching (while it can be technical) is the flaming hot center of the Gospel and its sparks should ignite our praise.

2- If God’s redemptive history is like a beautiful painting, with each new piece of theology explored and exposed we get a sharper section of the glorious painting filled in and brought to life so that we can worship with greater clarity the work and wonder of God as our beautiful rescuer.

3- When we come to understand the chronology of God’s work in history, it can’t but give us an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the place in time that we get to live — after the cross, the promise to Abraham fulfilled in Christ, the law fulfilled, the curse broken, the promised Spirit available, grace flowing!  Worship God for being born at such a time in His grand schedule.

4- The law brings a curse and the righteous condemnation of God on sinners, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus.  When we reflect on the work of Christ over the law, we have great opportunity to worship God for being redeemed from the curse of the law, from removing us from the place of condemnation and clothing us in the clothes of righteousness.  For making Him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

5- Thank God that He gives teaching, not just motivational pep-talks to go be “good” but real substance by which we can fill our hearts and minds with eternal truths revealed from heaven for our edification.  Glory in a God who communicates Himself and His plan to His creatures for their good.

May God give us minds to think clearly about these great theological truths and hearts that are stirred with genuine affections for Him and His work in history.

Learning and Loving,

Pastor Mark

Burdened today for the men of our church to be men of purity!  It’s nothing new for me to tell you that our culture is saturated with sexually explicit material.  If not overtly sexual, it seems to always lurk around the edges, luring the heart of a man in deeper.  God made men a special and unique way, not to be criticized for, but to be celebrated in the right ways – Man is visual and thus the sexual temptation he faces are always right in front of him … on the computer, at the coffee shop, in the office, at the checkout counter, yeah the list could keep on going.  The other problem is that men are proud, and as such in this area, seek secrecy and isolation.  These two ingredients can be the recipe for disaster in a marriage, home, and church.  I can’t imagine there is a person out there who hasn’t in some way been effected by the sexual sin of someone they know.  My burden is not for greater accountability, though that is always good … my burden is not for throwing your TV’s out the window, though that may not hurt … my burden is not for canceling the internet service, though that may be needed … my burden is for the Gospel to be enough!  For the men of Leroy Chapel to so earnestly desire the satisfaction of righteousness found in Christ that everything else is tasteless and bland.  For men to so delight in the wonder and beauty of God that the lesser pleasures (sure they are pleasures) fall miserably short.  I am not burden for greater regulations, more rules, or harsher exhortation … but a “panting after the water brook” that captures the hearts of our fathers who in turn disciple their sons who in turn live so counter-cultural that the pornography business goes under!  My favorite quote on the subject comes from John Piper’s book Future Grace where he writes,

“When faith has the upper hand in my heart I am satisfied with Christ and his promises.  When my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken.  We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can smell the steak sizzling on the grill.  The fight of faith against lust is the fight to stay satisfied with God.  As I pray for my faith to be satisfied with God’s life and peace, the sword of the Spirit carves the sugar coating off the poison of lust.  I see it for what it is.  And by the grace of God, its alluring power is broken.  I wield the sword of the Spirit against the sin of lust by believing the promise of God more than I believe in the promise of lust.” (pg. 335-336)

My brothers, put the sandwich down, savor the steak … and delight yourself in the glory God created you for – Himself!  Fight fire with faith … not rules.  Do you need to repent and get a Gospel refocus?  Call me, let’s talk and seek Jesus together.

Satisfied in Christ,

Pastor Mark

The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay upon the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him is not to believe that He loves you.

 

John Owen

 

Often Owen can be wordy and tough to read (though always worth it), but here he is simple and clear.  Enjoy it!  And make sure you put Sin and Temptation on your reading list if it isn’t yet.  

 

You’re Loved,

Pastor Mark

He Is Risen!  He is risen indeed!  And for centuries the empty tomb has stood as the landmark event in human history.  No greater day had there ever been and will there ever be until the King of King and Lord of Lord returns to bring His Kingdom to ultimate fruition.  Today I have a picture of the resurrection of Jesus as the great exclamation point over the heavens.  God raising His Son from the grave put the definitive mark on all of His promises made from the beginning that He is who He said He was – THE I AM!  Alive in the present, not a past tense ‘once was’ or a future tense ‘will be’ but Jesus is alive and victorious over the world’s system, Satan’s schemes, and my sin.  Jesus is the great AMEN to the work of God throughout human history.  In recognizing the redemption work of Jesus we all say YES and AMEN to all that God said to mankind because He has put the grand exclamation point out there for all to see (2 Corinthians 1:19-20).  It is finished and victory has been won.  The empty tomb leaves us with anything but emptiness for those who believe.  It guarantees for us the ultimate victory, our glory, His return!  I run to the tomb this morning and I behold that ‘He is not here, He has risen just as He said!’

“What are we doing here?  How did we draw the assignment to guard a dead body?  What do they think is going to happen anyway?  Then again, that stuff that happened yesterday as Jesus died was pretty crazy.  Did you see Jacob and Salome?  They had died a few years back and came strolling into the market alive.  You have to admit there was something rather unique about that guy.  I feel a strange sense of guilt over the stuff I said about him as we all threw insults at him hanging up there … and at the same time like I’m not a hopeless cause.  I was amazed at the composure Jesus had in forgiving the other guy who was being executed next to him.  He had such grace and tenderness in his voice that made me want him to speak to me with such mercy.  Weird, he’s the one that needed mercy … or so it seemed.  It’s funny that now as we stand outside his tomb I’m wishing I could have asked him some questions to really understand a bit more about his message.  Oh well, too late now.  Or is it?  Maybe there’s a chance that what he said about rising up on the third day might be true.  Maybe he really was from heaven.  Maybe he really did offer something that no one else ever has?  Maybe he is the answer to life I’ve been looking for.  If he does come to life I know I’m going to make sure I get my questions answered this time … or maybe that will be all the answer I need.”