Becoming What You Behold

At 32, I’m beginning to feel the old adage of you are what you eat. As a teenager, I could eat whatever I wanted at any time of the day with next to no consequences. This is no longer so in my early 30s. The short-term and long-term consequences of my diet are obvious and unavoidable. This past week, the Lord has been impressing an important reality upon my heart: you are what you behold. To put it another way, you become what you choose to behold. If you choose to constantly behold morally bankrupt and worldly entertainment, you will become morally bankrupt and worldly. If you give yourself over to mindless scrolling on social media and beholding posts that are empty of value, you will become a mindless individual who has little capacity for critical thinking. If you choose to behold pornography, you will become a miserable slave to your lusts and appetites.

In 2 Corinthians 3-4, the apostle Paul implores you to behold the glory of Christ so that you can become more like Him. If you know and love Jesus, a spiritual veil has been lifted from your eyes by the Holy Spirit and you now have the ability to see Jesus as awesome, mighty, and glorious. Paul writes, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit,” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Please, don’t miss the beauty of this verse. If you choose to behold the glory of who Christ is, what He has done, and what He continues to do, you will slowly but surely be transformed into His image. Day by day and inch by inch, you will become more and more like Him. You will set your mind on the lasting things of heaven instead of being consumed by the fading things of earth (Colossians 3:1-2). You will put off the old self and continually put on the new self (Colossians 3:5-17). You will grow in your desire and ability to love as He loves, to hate what He hates, and to serve as He serves.

You may be thinking, “This sounds fantastic…but what does it mean to behold Jesus and how can I do this on a daily basis?” In this life, we behold Jesus by faith and in eternity we will behold Him by sight. One day all our hopes will become reality and our faith will become sight. The apostle John promises us that “we shall be like Him (Jesus) because we shall see Him as He is,” (1 John 3:2). Try to wrap your mind around this truth. One day you will see Christ as you can see a friend, a family member, a neighbor, your kids, or your spouse. Seeing Him in His full and unadulterated glory will forever and perfectly change you into His likeness. Until then, we must behold Jesus through the eyes of faith. We must behold Him by focusing our minds and hearts upon the gospel and the truths of God’s Word. You will not become more like Jesus if you fail to behold Him in His Word. Beholding Him in the Word doesn’t just involve reading the words on the page but mediating and reflecting upon them as well. This involves memorizing Scripture and digging these truths into the fertile soil of your soul. This involves putting His Word into action. Beholding Christ is a holistic activity that involves your head, your heart, and your hands.

Maybe you’re reading this and your love and affection for Christ has dwindled in recent weeks, months, or maybe even years. Bible study and prayer have become lifeless tasks that don’t excite you as they once did. Church has become a legalistic routine instead of a life giving time of worship, learning, and fellowship. The fire that once burned so brightly is now a fading wick on the verge of blowing out. The only solution is to get on your knees and ask the Lord to fix your eyes upon the Savior and His infinite glory. Hundreds of years ago, the famous pastor and theologian, John Owen, had this to say in his amazing book, The Glory of Christ, “Do any of us find decays in grace prevailing in us; deadness, coldness, lukewarmness, a kind of spiritual stupidity and senselessness coming upon us? Do we find an unreadiness unto the exercise of grace in its proper season, and the vigorous acting of it in duties of communion with God, and would we have our souls recovered from these dangerous diseases? Let us assure ourselves there is no better way for our healing and deliverance, yea, no other way but this alone, -- namely, the obtaining a fresh view of the glory of Christ by faith, and a steady abiding therein. Constant contemplation of Christ and his glory, putting forth its transforming power unto the revival of all grace, is the only relief in this case." Brothers and sisters, look unto Jesus day in and day out. There is no better view in this world or any other. There is no other view that is eternally transforming.

How to Grow as an Encourager

This past Sunday, I wrapped up my sermon by expounding upon the end of Hebrews 10:25 in which we are called to encourage “one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near,” (ESV). In other words, the day of Jesus’ return is drawing ever nearer so let’s stop pushing each other down and start pulling each other up. Let us be known as encouragers instead of critics. Maybe you’ve realized that you tend towards negativity and criticism. Maybe you want to grow in your capacity and ability to encourage but you’re not sure where to start. Below are four practical considerations and methods for growing in encouragement:

1. Filter Everything You Say Through the Lens of God’s Word - I am prone to sarcasm and I can intentionally or unintentionally use my mouth to hurt others. I’ve come a long way from how I used to talk in high school and college but the Lord is still maturing me in choosing my words carefully. Ephesians 4:29 has been a guiding light for me over the past 14 years, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear,” (ESV). Paul provides a convicting and helpful filter that you need to run your words through before they exit out of your mouth. According to this filter, you should never say anything that will tear someone down instead of build them up. This means that you cannot just say whatever you are thinking or hide behind the excuse that you are a “straight shooter who tells it like it is.” This means that you will need to hold some jokes in that would be funny. This means that you need to consider how to phrase a tough suggestion or word of advice that a family member or friend needs to hear. This filter will help you to avoid saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and it will also keep you from saying the right thing at the wrong time. Notice that Paul says our words must fit the occasion. The setting and timing of our words matter just as much as the content of our words. I guarantee that this God-given filter will save you and others from a lot of pain and heartache.

2. Celebrate the Wins of Others and Speak Hope Into Their Failures - The Lord has been teaching me that an important sign of maturity is the ability to be genuinely excited for the wins of others. It’s so easy to be envious when life is going well for someone else. It’s easy to be threatened when someone in your sphere of influence accomplishes an impressive goal. On the other hand, it’s godly to be pleased that the Lord is blessing someone that you care about with success. It’s Christlike to be happy when someone else accomplishes a worthwhile task. Instead of sulking on the sidelines of someone’s success, get into the game and offer them your heartfelt congratulations. Also, do not revel in the failures and losses of others. Their failures do not equal your own success. Enter into their pain to offer them the hope of the gospel and the comfort of Christ.

3. Let Others Know That You are Praying for Them - At Harvest, we always say to pray for someone right now when a need is expressed instead of just saying that you’ll do it later and end up forgetting. In the same vein, reach out to that individual throughout the week to let them know that you are continually lifting up their requests to the Lord. Set reminders on your phone to intercede on their behalf before the throne of grace and to contact them via text or a phone call with a message of how you are specifically praying for them. You will make someone’s day by simply letting them know that you took the time to approach the Lord on their behalf. Paul encourages us at the end of Ephesians to be “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” (6:18 ESV). Be diligent in praying for others just as much as you pray for yourself.

4. Send Handwritten Notes and Letters - As someone with atrocious handwriting that never developed in appearance since 4th grade, this suggestion pains me. My handwriting is embarrassingly bad but I still try to send out notes to people on a weekly basis because this old fashioned discipline communicates care and intentionality. Paul typically dictated his epistles to someone else who put pen to paper but he was very emphatic about pointing out whenever he actually wrote on the page with his own hand (Galatians 6:11 & 2 Thessalonians 3:17). He did this to draw his readers’ attention to his own care for their souls and to certain truths that they could not afford to ignore. FaceTime, text messaging, and phone calls are helpful tools but cannot replace the blessing and impact of receiving a handwritten letter. Make a list of people in your life that would benefit from notes of encouragement and be diligent in writing at least one or two a month. Guys reading this blog post: writing letters and notes is not a feminine or girly activity. This is a godly activity that will bless and benefit others guys in your life that desperately need to be lifted up and encouraged.

Resurrection Sunday – April 9th

Prayer: Ask the Lord to bless your time in the Word and prepare your heart to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Read: Matthew 28:1-15 and Psalm 16:8-11

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important yet controversial event in human history. Many would like to ignore the resurrection and not give it a moment’s thought. Others try to explain it away with “scientific” and “logical” defenses that prove to be more unbelievable than the claim that the Son of God rose from the dead. There is the “Swoon Theory” which imagines that Jesus passed out on the cross, was thought to be dead, and was buried alive in the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus then woke up in the tomb, somehow rolled the 1-2-ton stone away by himself, and proceeded to make his cameo appearances around town. There is the “Substitution Theory” which suggests that Jesus either had a twin brother or a doppelgänger who impersonated Him on the cross. Sounds like the lame plot twist in a soap opera episode, doesn’t it?

A popular explanation to poke holes in the resurrection is the claim that Jesus’ followers must have conspired together to take part in grave robbery. This theory isn’t new by any means as its origin is found in the passage from Matthew that you just read. To save face, the religious leaders bribed the guards who watched over the tomb to spread the lie that Jesus’ disciples stole the body away while they were sleeping on the job (Matthew 28:11-15). This is ridiculous for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that almost all of the disciples were tortured and martyred for their faith in the resurrected and living Jesus. Why would these men choose to suffer and die for a lie that they willingly fabricated?

I could list other conspiracy theories regarding the resurrection but none of them add up or hold any water. All of these theories are excuses that serve as distractions from truly coming to terms with the empty tomb. It is a historical reality that Jesus lived, was crucified, and His body cannot be found. We all must come to grips with this reality and choose to either embrace the resurrection or reject it. To ignore it or live in light of it. To hate it or celebrate it every single second of every single day. The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. If you believe in it and submit to the risen Lord, the resurrection changes your past, your present, and your future. Because of the resurrection, you can have new and abundant life that lasts forever (Romans 6:4-11). Jesus’ resurrection paved the way for your future resurrection when you will receive a new and glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:12-34 and 1 John 3:1-3). When life is hard and doubts arise, take heart and know that your Redeemer lives! Jesus is alive and ruling on the throne of the universe at this very second and forevermore. Let the lyrics of Bill Gaither’s famous hymn, Because He Lives, ring in our hearts and minds: “An empty tomb is there to prove my Savior lives and because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives.” [1]

Reflection Questions:

• Why is it logical and reasonable to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

•  How does His resurrection impact/change your past, present, and future?

• How has the Lord ministered to your soul over this past week of reading and studying His Word? What are some of your big takeaways?

[1]Bill Gaither, Because He Lives, Heartwarming Records.

Pray Expectantly or Submissively? Why Not Both?

This past Sunday, I preached through Hebrews 4:14-16 and wrapped up the message with a call to boldly approach the Lord for help. I drew this call from vs. 16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” I could have spent much more time on this verse and what it means for our prayer lives but unfortunately I wasn’t able to due to time constraints. But this verse did cause me to meditate upon a seeming tension that we see in Scripture in regard to prayer. This seeming tension is the relationship between praying expectantly and praying submissively.

Throughout the New Testament, we are commanded to pray with the expectation that God will move and act in response to our petitions and requests (Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24, James 5:16). At the same time, we are called to pray submissively and accept the will of the Father when He answers our requests with a “no” or a “wait”. Which is it? Both of these commands seem contradictory but in reality, they are compatible. If you are a parent of young children or teenagers, you see this play out in your home all the time. You want to cultivate an open door policy with your kids where they feel comfortable approaching you and making requests. At the same time, you reserve the right to say “no” or “you have to be patient” because you know what’s best for your child. In a much greater way, the Lord wants us to boldly come to Him with our requests but His will always trumps our own. His plans always win out over our own. We serve a sovereign Father who knows what He is doing and the accomplishment of His perfect will includes the trampling of some of our dreams. The accomplishment of His perfect will includes us going through seasons of difficulty and trial.

We see this dynamic play out in the life of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. He was experiencing some intense trial that many try to speculate on but we’re not actually sure about the exact nature of his affliction. Whatever it was, it was bad. He didn’t want to deal with it anymore. He wanted this thorn in the flesh gone ASAP. We are told in 2 Corinthians 12:8 that Paul pleaded with the Lord three times that this affliction would be taken away. As I studied this verse, many scholars suggest that three times “likely means that Paul pleaded with the Lord to exhaustion.”* Despite Paul’s honest and bold pleading, the Lord would not remove this trial from His faithful servant’s life. There was a greater purpose for Paul’s pain.

The Lord responds to Paul’s pleas with one of the most encouraging verses in all of the New Testament, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, “ (12:9 ESV). We are not promised a yes to every request but we are always promised the presence of our God. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will never waste our pain. He will show Himself mighty in the midst of our struggles. He doesn’t say “no” or “wait” to torture us. He says “no” or “wait” to refine us and mold us into the image of HIs Son. God may not be answering a certain prayer of yours in the way that you want Him to right now. That is hard. It can be painful to realize that God’s plans and timetables do not line up with your own. But don’t let that disappointment crush you or disillusion you from continuing to approach the Lord with confidence and boldness. God answers so many of our requests with a “yes” but we’re so often blind to these things because we’re so focused on what He isn’t giving us. I want to encourage you to write your prayer requests down over the next week. Keep track of how God is answering your prayers and you’ll be blown away by what He is doing in your life. This will give you a much different perspective on those requests that he is currently saying “no” or “wait” to. Don’t give up on praying expectantly and submissively.

*https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-was-pauls-thorn-in-the-flesh-2-corinthians-12/