The Depth of the Father's Love Is Overwhelming

We often sing a song in corporate worship entitled, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”, the text is awfully powerful.  I think that the text is so powerful because it calls us to grips to the depths of God’s love.  The only way that we can remotely understand and comprehend the depths of that love, is through the understanding of the depths and severity of our own sin.  The text actually combats our natural and sinful inclination in which we are tempted to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to.  Though while none of us would readily admit it, we more often than not, live our lives as if we have something to offer God, that there is something that God somehow needs from us.  While the reality is, as the song says, we are “wretch”, people of a despicable character, who undeserving have been made a treasure. 

Furthermore, the reality that this text continues to reveal, is that this undeserving grace did not come without a price, it did not come without a cost.  There was much pain physically and emotionally, as God who was fully human experienced not only physical torture, but humiliation as well.  This grace did not come without a price, it was our guilt upon His shoulders, it was our mocking voices who were crucifying Him, it was our sin that brought Him death, which brought us life.  This is the depth of the love of the Father, this is the depth of our wretchedness, this is the depth of our salvation. 

Therefore as redeemed wretches, what can we boast in apart from Jesus Christ?  Apart from Him we have nothing to offer, we bring nothing to the table; we brought guilt upon His shoulders, He gave us life.  Why should we gain this undeserved grace, this reward?  Our only response can be that Jesus Is Lord!  Christ died for the ungodly. 

Anthony Carter states this point well in an article at Ligonier.org:  “All because of the love of God. Christ left heaven. He laid aside glory, concealing His majesty. He subjected Himself to the creature’s scorn, outcast from a world He created. He suffered demonic attack, lies, and public ridicule. Friends forsook Him. He was brutally beaten, stripped, and put to open shame. Spat upon and slapped, publicly and shamefully executed, He assumed the guilt and punishment for every sin we ever committed. He reconciled us to God and secured our acceptance before God. Why? Because justice demanded it and our justification required it. Because He loved us even before we ever knew Him or understood what He was doing.

Thankfully, now we do.”

How Deep The Father’s Love for Us!

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

     

Religious-mart ©

As I was reading an article on CNN yesterday titled “Americans not loosing their religion, but changing it often” I was overwhelmingly shocked at how much of a consumerism society we have become, and how this has been transferred to the church. I hear it all the time – we moved to this church because they had this, or we moved from this church because they didn’t have that – and churches have begin “marketing” towards this. It is almost eerie similar to conversation held over choosing a restaurant – “well they this is good, but this is bad, so we’ll go here.” True growth will never occur in a church that markets its community as a business would – True growth comes from God alone through the preaching of His Word. I do believe in meeting needs of people, I also believe in being relevant to the culture around us, however when your church is known for its coffee bar, cool music, or dress style before the Gospel than there is a problem.

“You're seeing the free market at work, If people are dissatisfied, they will leave. And if they see something they like better, they will join it." This quote CNN is dead on – secular people are looking in and they see the church as nothing but a market of people who need faith. So what do we do as God’s people? Do we shove off all things of the world and become secluded having no worldly things? Do we quit having programs for people to participate in? Do we only do music that is attractive to one group of people? No. So what do we do?

We place the emphasis on God. We become all things to all people, for the purpose for the Gospel, not for the purpose of church growth. When someone asks about our church, when we go visiting, or when we make flyers our selling points should not be our programs, our music, or our building – it should be you are a sinner, God offers salvation – He is Holy – We worship Him alone. True growth comes from God alone. When a church becomes too popular we need to check and make sure we are still preaching the Gospel; Christ said, “We would be hated by all from His name’s sake” (Lk 21:17). What is your Church known for.

SENT 2009: An Urgency for the Gospel

I had the opportunity to go to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention's SENT Conference this past weekend in Houston. I had opportunity to meet many people who work with college students all over Texas as well as people who work with missionaries all over the world. A question that I heard over and over is how do we get people to live missional or on mission? According to much of what I heard it's is not a great problem to get people to give money for missions or to get people who will go on short-term mission trips away from where they live, but getting people to share the love of Christ with people that they come into contact with daily is almost impossible. Thus living missionally, or on mission in our day to day surroundings is not being accomplished.

There must be an urgency for the Gospel. In a society where it is more and more common not to talk to people you come into contact with even in the marketplace, where we keep to ourselves, as Christians we must be the odd-balls and be exceptionally open and reaching out daily to those around us. It is uncomfortable - especially in our society where we can live a totally anonymous lifestyle.

Think about it we can go to the ATM to bank, pay-at-the-pump gas, and self-checkout at the market. We can go all day without having to come into contact with someone who we don't know. Through this process that we have found ourselves in it has become increasingly "awkward" in society to talk to someone and get any deeper then where is a product; if you ask how someone's day is going they flip out because it is just totally absurd now. The larger society/metroplex you find yourself in the more true this statement becomes.

There must be an urgency for the Gospel - your neighbors are going to hell - the people checking you out in the market are going to hell - the person you just cut off because you were reading this on your iPhone is going to hell - we must have an urgency for the Gospel and can no longer be casual Christians who have our "fire-insurance".

Be Awkward. Care. Share.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience......
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?....
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:18-39