Category: PASSION Reflections

Gospel Shaped Suffering

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

Everyone suffers.  Trials, struggles, sickness, loss – we all struggle.  My question today is: how can the gospel shape our suffering?

Following the Path of Christ (Cross)

In Matthew 16:21-24, Jesus predicts his death.  He is going to suffer and die on a cross.  This event is central to the gospel – Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins.  But after predicting his death which will save us, he goes on to say that if we would come after him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.  In other words, when we follow Jesus, we follow his path of suffering.

Suffering is part of the normal Christian life.  If we are going to follow Jesus who suffered, then we too will suffer.  As Peter puts it in I Peter 2:21 within the context of suffering – “For to this [suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”  In our suffering, we are following the path of Christ.  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Becoming More Like Christ (Adoption and Sanctification)

Part of the gospel is that we are adopted as his children.  Hebrews 12:5-11 makes clear that as children we can expect discipline from the Lord that we might share in his holiness.  Hebrews tells us this discipline is often painful, but it yields the fruit of righteousness.  So this discipline that we must at times suffer makes us holy, righteous – it makes us more like Christ.

Part of the gospel is also our sanctification.  God is making us holy, more like Christ.  But how does he do it?  In part through suffering.  The overall context of Romans 8:18-30 includes this idea of suffering.  We suffer along with creation.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  All things (including suffering) work for our good.  And then we read that we are predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son.”  How does God conform us?  The context suggests that suffering is a big part of it.

Romans 5:3-4 tells us that suffering produces endurance which produces character.  James 1:2-4 tells us that trials bring perseverance which leads to maturity.  All together these verses make clear that our suffering can make us more like Christ.  That our suffering has a glorious purpose.  Embracing this purpose is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ and as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ through suffering.  Do you approach suffering this way?

We’ll look at some more ways that our suffering can be shaped by the gospel in future posts.

What Is Your Testimony?

On By BrianIn Book of Luke2 Comments

What is your testimony?  What legacy are you leaving?  Does it point to Christ?  Does it reveal one who has been touched by grace?

Mary was touched by grace.  The angel greeted her with the words “O favored one.”  Later the angel says she has “found favor with God.”  In both cases, the word translated favor is grace.  God graciously allowed her the privilege to bear the Messiah.  Joseph too had the great privilege of raising the Messiah.

And what is their testimony?  Obedience to God.  Mary submits to God’s plan for her.  Joseph too submits, taking Mary as his wife.  Both of them obey everything required by the Law regarding Jesus’ birth.  Obedience to God.  Is that part of our testimony?

Simeon too was touched by grace.  He is given the great privilege of seeing the Messiah before he dies.  And what is his testimony?  He is righteous, just in his actions toward others.  He is devout in his relationship with God.  He has hope in the coming Messiah.  He is led by the Spirit.  He is ready to die when God calls him.  Are these things part of our testimony?

Anna was touched by grace.  Her very name means grace, and she is given the privilege of seeing the Messiah.  And what is her testimony?  She worships with fasting and prayer.  She gives thanks, praising God for the Messiah as did Simeon, and the shepherds and the angels.  Are these things part of our testimony?

Obedience, righteousness, devotion, hope, Spirit-led, ready to die, worship, fasting and prayer, thanksgiving and praise.  Do these things characterize our lives?  We too have received grace upon grace.  Do our lives show it?  What legacy are we leaving?  What is our testimony?

(Taken from Luke 1-2)

Good News!

On By BrianIn Book of Luke2 Comments

Of all the people God could have announced the birth of Jesus to, he chose to announce it to shepherds.  Shepherds watching sheep that would probably be used as sacrifices at the temple.  Even as Jesus would one day offer himself as a sacrifice.

The angel appears and announces good news of great joy.  What is this good news?  A Savior has been born!  We sin and sin and sin and sin, and Jesus was born to save us from our sins.  Again and again, the people would sacrifice the shepherd’s lambs for their sins, but Jesus came to save us from our sins once for all.  A Savior has been born.  Indeed this is good news of great joy!

Notice the response of the shepherds.  First they went to investigate.  They wanted to see this Savior.  Do we have the same desire?  To see our Savior.  To know him better?  To investigate further and deeper the glorious good news of great joy?

Second, they went about proclaiming the good news that they had heard and seen for themselves.  Do we have that same tendency?  No one told the shepherds to witness.  They just naturally did.  Are we so excited about our Savior that we just naturally tell others?

Third, they went home praising God for the good news they had heard and seen and proclaimed.  The good news of great joy filled them with joy.  Do we have the praises of God on our hearts and in our mouths?

Father, thank you for the good news of a Savior.  Grant us the desire to investigate, the passion to proclaim, and the joy to praise you.  Amen.

(Taken from Luke 2:1-20)

Promise of Christ

On By BrianIn Book of Luke1 Comment

After John is born, Zechariah breaks forth into praise (Luke 1).  What is the content of his praise?  The Promise of Christ.

First, there is the promise of hope in Christ (v68-75).  Zechariah speaks of salvation from enemies.  He speaks of the house of David – a reference to the kingship.  All of this was foretold by the prophets.  And so Christ is coming again to reign as king, to put every enemy under his feet, to bring about the paradise the prophets foretold.  What a glorious promise of hope we have in Christ.

Second, there is the promise of forgiveness in Christ (v76-78).  John will prepare the way for Jesus, making known the salvation and forgiveness of sins found in Jesus.  Through Christ’s death, all of our sins can be forgiven.  We can be clean and pure.  This is the glorious promise of forgiveness we have in Christ.

Third, there is the promise of light in Christ (v78-79).  Jesus is a light in the midst of our dark world.  Instead of blundering around in the darkness, we can come to the light.  In the darkness of our trials, we can look to the light.  This is the glorious promise of light we have in Christ.

Finally, there is the promise of peace in Christ (v79).  In the midst of a chaotic world filled with trials and hurts and losses and troubles, we need a source of peace.  In Christ, the Prince of Peace, we can find peace.  And one day he will usher in perfect peace over the entire world.  This is the glorious promise of peace we have in Christ.

May we remember the promises we have in Jesus!

Examples of Grace 05

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

The second half of Exodus is filled with laws and instructions for building the tabernacle.  One might not expect to find much grace here, but there are numerous examples.

The laws themselves graciously provide protection for the people – a great blessing indeed.  Thank God we live in a country with laws that (for the most part) protect us.

God confirms his covenant with the people.  Thank God for his grace – that he would enter into a covenant with us and make us his people.

In an incredible passage, the elders of Israel saw God and ate in his presence.  The eating in his presence speaks of fellowship and peace.  What a glorious thing that we can have peace and fellowship with God, and one day we will see him!

After the golden calf, God threatens to wipe the people out.  But instead he graciously spares them and even renews the covenant with them.  How many times have we sinned, yet God graciously spares us and faithfully keeps his covenant with us.

Perhaps the greatest theme in the second half of the book is God’s presence.  That is why they are building the tabernacle – that God might dwell in their midst.  As the tabernacle is completed, the manifest presence of God descends upon the tabernacle.  God is with Israel.  God graciously chooses to dwell among them – and among us.  He is with us as we gather together as his people.  His Spirit actually dwells in each of his people.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He is with us always to the end of the age.  He is with us to enable us for ministry and strengthen us in trials.  God’s presence with us is an incredible example of his grace.

Grace upon grace.  Praise the Lord for his grace in our lives!

(Taken from Exodus 21-40)

Now Marriage Is A Picture

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life, Sermon Songs1 Comment

Now Marriage Is A Picture

The Church’s one foundation, is Jesus Christ her Lord
She is His new creation, by water and the Word
From heaven He came and sought her, to be His holy bride
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.

Now marriage is a picture, of Jesus and his bride
May our vows remain secure, may we in love abide
For Christ will never leave us, forsake us never he
As he is faithful to us, so faithful we must be

May sacrificial giving, be in our homes today
And true humble forgiving, and grace in all we say
For Jesus died to save us, forgive those gone astray
He pours his grace upon us, with more grace every day

Each husband love his own wife, and leading for her best
As Jesus gave his own life, to give us hope and rest
Each wife respect her husband, and joyfully submit
As we before the Lord stand, and gladly do commit

May each and every marriage, shaped by the gospel be
Forsake the gods of this age, worship the Lord only
All praises we would give you, for all that you have done
Forever we’ll adore you, Great God the Three in One

(First verse by Samuel J. Stone from the hymn The Church’s One Foundation, to the same tune by Samuel S. Wesley, Public Domain.  I wrote verses 2-5 to go with the Gospel Shaped Marriage sermon which I just blogged.  All rights reserved.  Copyright 2010.)

Gospel Shaped Marriage 4

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

Marriage is based on the gospel and is a picture of the gospel, so our marriages must be shaped by the gospel.  In the last two posts, we noted that this happens as we sacrificially give of ourselves and as we commit to grow in holiness.  Now we’ll look at two final aspects of a gospel shaped marriage, and then conclude our reflections.

First, a gospel shaped marriage has a firm grip.  The gospel makes clear that Christ has a firm grip on his church.  He will not divorce his church.  He will not get tired of his church.  The marriage supper of the lamb is certain.  Our spending eternity with him is certain.  Now if marriage is based on the gospel and is a picture of the gospel, we must have a firm grip on one another in marriage.  If Christ will not divorce his church, then we cannot divorce each other.  If marriage pictures the gospel, then divorce distorts the picture.  So we must have a firm grip on one another.  Not a loose grip, not a slow drifting apart, but a firm grip.  We must guard our marriages lest we distort the picture of the gospel by divorce.

Second, a gospel shaped marriage includes forgiving grace.  In Ephesians 4:31-32 we see the gospel in the last phrase: “as God in Christ forgave you.”  God has forgiven us through Christ.  Every sin is buried forever, never to be dug up and used against us.  Now if marriage is a picture of the gospel, then we must forgive one another.  Past sins must be buried and remain buried, never to be dug up and used against the other person.  In the gospel, we find that God has poured out his grace on us – even though we don’t deserve it.  In a gospel shaped marriage, we must share that grace with our spouse – even when he or she doesn’t deserve it.  It isn’t about deserving – it is about grace, it’s about a gospel shaped marriage.

Our culture sometimes whispers, sometimes shouts its low distorted view of marriage.  In the midst of the onslaught, let us take our stand on a high true view of marriage.  Marriage is based on the gospel and is a picture of the gospel.  So let us sacrificially give of ourselves.  Let us be committed to growing in holiness.  Let us have a firm grip on our spouse.  Let us extend grace and forgiveness.  Let us live gospel shaped marriages.

And when death comes, our marriages will end.  The picture of the gospel will be finished, but the gospel that our marriages picture will go on.  When Christ returns, we’ll celebrate the marriage supper of the lamb.  And new joys will expand forever and ever with the Lord.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Gospel Shaped Marriage 3

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

Marriage is based on the Christ/church relationship and pictures the Christ/church relationship.  Marriage is closely connected to the gospel.  That means my question – how should the gospel shape our marriages? – is not incidental but essential.  The gospel must shape our marriages because our marriages are based on the gospel and point to the gospel.  So how should the gospel shape our marriages?

In the last post we noted that our marriages should have a sacrificial giving of ourselves to each other – as Christ sacrificially gave of himself for the church, and the church sacrificially submits itself to Christ.  Now we want to consider a second way that the gospel should shape our marriages – a commitment to grow in holiness.

In Ephesians 5:25-27, we find that Christ sacrificially gave of himself to make the church holy.  “In the same way husbands should love their wives…” (v28).  As Christ makes the church holy, so husbands should seek the holiness of their wives.  A husband’s leadership (see last post) includes spiritual leading as he seeks to help his wife grow in holiness.  Men, are we doing this?  Are we encouraging our wives in their daily time with the Lord?  Are we taking them to church, and leading them to serve in the church?  Are we praying for them and with them?  Are we leading our wives to grow in holiness?

What about wives?  Can they help their husbands grow in holiness?  At first look, the answer might be no.  The church does not help Christ grow in holiness, so the wife should not help her husband grow in holiness.  But we need to understand that, while the husband is patterned after Christ, he is not Christ.  Christ was sinless, husbands are not.  (If any men have any doubts about this, ask your wife, and she will clear it up for you!)  Husbands need to grow in holiness.  So it would seem that wives could encourage their husbands to grow.  Not nag.  Not try to lead.  But gently encourage their husbands.

Yet marriage is more than just helping each other grow.  Marriage itself is a laboratory for growth.  The gospel reminds us that Christ gave of himself (v25).  He humbled himself unto death (Philippians 2:8).  And part of our response is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matthew 16:24).  An important part of growth is this self-denial, this humbling, this giving of ourselves – this becoming like Jesus.  This means that marriage is a great context for growth because a huge part of marriage is a sacrificial giving of ourselves (see last post).  If we commit to the sacrificial roles God designed for us, we will grow more like Christ, we will grow in holiness.

So marriage is based on the gospel and is a picture of the gospel.  Our marriages must be shaped by the gospel.  This happens as we sacrificially give of ourselves and commit to grow in holiness.  We will look at two final aspects of a gospel shaped marriage in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Marriage 2

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

To recap from the last post:  marriage is based on the Christ/church relationship and pictures the Christ/church relationship.  Marriage is closely connected to the gospel.  That means my question – how should the gospel shape our marriages? – is not incidental but essential.  The gospel must shape our marriages because our marriages are based on the gospel and point to the gospel.  So how should the gospel shape our marriages?

First, there is to be a sacrificial giving of ourselves.  Let’s start with husbands, whose role is based on Christ.  Christ sacrificially loved the church, giving of himself for the good of the church.  So the husband is to sacrificially love his wife, giving of himself for the good of his wife.  Christ nourishes and cherishes (takes care of) his church.  So the husband is to nourish and cherish his wife, providing for her needs.  Christ is the head of the church, providing leadership for the church.  So the husband is the head of the wife, providing leadership for the family.

This latter point of course irritates many people.  But we must see it in the context of what we said before.  This leadership is sacrificial, seeking the wife’s best, and providing for the wife.  There is no room for self-centered demands in this leadership.  It is a sacrificial giving of the husband for his wife.  This is a gospel shaped marriage.

Then wives too are to sacrificially give of themselves.  This is done through submission to the husband.  This too irritates many people.  Some want to argue that Paul is stuck in his own culture, and this is the twenty first century!  But notice again Paul’s statement is based on the Christ/church relationship.  If marriage is based on and pictures the gospel, the wife must submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ.  But this is degrading to women many might say.  But dear church – do you feel degraded because you are called to submit to Christ?  No?  So submission need not be degrading.  Jesus says that if we love him we will obey him (John 14:15).  So the church submits to Christ out of love.  And so the wife can submit to her husband out of love.  As the church cheerfully, joyfully, freely submits to Christ, so can the wife submit to her husband.  This indeed requires a sacrificial giving of herself, but in doing it she points to the gospel.  This is a gospel shaped marriage.

So a gospel shaped marriage acknowledges different roles for the husband and the wife based on the roles of Christ and the church.  Both of these roles flow out of a sacrificial giving of ourselves.  We’ll consider further aspects of a gospel shaped marriage in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Marriage

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

Our culture has a low distorted view of marriage.  This is not news.   The high divorce rate, the thousands living together outside of marriage, the media’s portrayal of marriage, the attempt to redefine marriage, and the frothy romantic feelings many base marriage on – all point to a low distorted view of marriage.  In the midst of this mess, the church needs a renewed vision of marriage, a high view, a real view, a Biblical view.

To find such a view, we could turn back to creation.  We could see that God designed marriage between a man and a woman, that he designed sex for the safety of a loving committed marriage relationship, and that he designed marriage to be a lasting commitment.  But by and large the church knows these things, so I want to look at marriage from a different vantage point.  I want to consider marriage not in the context of creation, but in the context of salvation.

I want to ask: how should the gospel shape our marriages?  Ever asked that question?  Ever even consider that there might be a connection?  Let’s begin by exploring the connection:

Read Ephesians 5:22-33.  What is this passage about?  The marriage relationship?  The Christ/church relationship?  Both?  Indeed both.  Paul weaves the two together throughout the passage.

Looking closer, we notice that the husband’s role is based on Christ’s role: “the husband is the head…even as Christ is the head….husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church.”  Similarly the wife’s role is based on the church’s role: “as the church submits…so also wives should submit.”  The marriage relationship then is based on the Christ/church relationship.

Look at verses 31-32.  Verse 31 quotes Genesis 2 which is speaking of marriage.  Yet verse 32 says it (the marriage relationship) refers to Christ and the church.  That is, the marriage relationship points to or pictures the Christ/church relationship.  Our marriages are a picture of Christ and his church.  Marriage is a picture of the gospel.

So marriage is based on the Christ/church relationship and pictures the Christ/church relationship.*  Marriage is closely connected to the gospel.  That means my question – how should the gospel shape our marriages? – is not incidental but essential.  The gospel must shape our marriages because our marriages are based on the gospel and point to the gospel.  We’ll look at specific ways the gospel should shape our marriages in the next post.

*I am indebted to John Piper’s book This Momentary Marriage for the insight that marriage is based on and pictures the Christ/church relationship.  I recommend the book to you.