Bringing One Another into the Presence of God - Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 31– Purity 1003
Purity 1003 03/29/2023 Purity 1003 Podcast
Purity 1003 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a view of the sun shining over the Schodack Creek, State Route 9J, and through the branches of a tree comes to us from yours truly as I was reminded yesterday to remember the beauty that lies just outside my front door when I saw the sun shining in through the windows of my home “down by The River. I’m including another shot of that view as a look to the right reveals the waters of the Hudson River. I couldn’t get it all in one shot but wanted to assure you that there is “always more” to see and enjoy in life if we simply look for it.
Well, it is Wednesday and tonight I have the honor
of leading one of the men from the Freedom in Christ Course to “get over the
hump” of whatever unresolved personal and spiritual conflicts the Holy Spirit leads
him to confess and cancel as I will be leading him through the Steps to Freedom
in Christ. Just like I was prompted to
run to my front door to see what God was doing with his creation when I saw the
light pouring into my home, this man has boldly followed the Lord to bring him
to repentance and is hopeful that the Lord will bring him to something good on
the other side of the Steps to Freedom in Christ.
And just like I said that there is always more to
see and enjoy in life if we only look for it, this particular brother in Christ
has already had significant victories and growth in his walk with God but knows
that the Lord has even more for him to learn and experience and has already
stated that the Steps will not be the end of his journey as he plans to keep
going where the Lord calls him to go beyond the Freedom in Christ course that
concludes in two weeks.
And that is exactly what we taught last night and
continually try to encourage Christians to understand: that our life of faith
and our freedom in Christ is not a “one-off” experience that happens when we
put our faith in Jesus or when we complete the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Our
taking a hold of, experiencing, and enjoying our freedom in Christ is supposed
to be a continuous and progressive way of life. As Christian disciples, we are
to never stop learning and applying God’s wisdom to our lives. When we gain victory
or freedom in one area of our lives, we don’t just sit down enjoying it until
we become complacent and have to regain what we already have won. We are to
take on new challenges and continue to discover our purpose in God’s
kingdom. Our salvation isn’t a “relationship
status” it is a merely the prerequisite for us to discover the purpose God has
for us and the rest of our lives is to be the ongoing adventures of our interactions
with God to “come and see” all that He has for us to experience.
So, let’s go and see what we can learn and discover
what God has for us today as we walk in to the 31st day of Lent and
our current series, the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this
journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God
in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this
journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons
change, the Lord will use it to change us too.
You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by
going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) .
Day 31
Bonhoeffer writes:
“Offering intercessory prayer means nothing other than
Christians bringing one another into the presence of God, seeing each other
under the cross of Jesus as poor human beings and sinners in need of grace.
Then, everything about other people that repels me falls
away.
Then I see them in all their need, hardship, and distress.
Their need and their sin become so heavy and oppressive to
me that I feel as if they were my own, and I can do nothing else but bid: Lord,
you yourself, you alone, deal with them according to your firmness and your
goodness.”
Biblical Wisdom
Therefore
confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be
healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:15-16
Questions to Ponder
- How does seeing others under the cross
of Jesus Christ cause all that “repels me” about them to fall away?
M.T. Clark:
Seeing Others under the cross of Jesus Christ causes all that “repels” us about
them to fall away because we have compassion for them. We sympathize with their
pain and suffering that results from their sins. We see them as God sees them
as people who are hurting and who desperately need God’s forgiveness, love, and
wisdom. When we see others under the
cross, all that could repel us about them falls away because we remember our own
shame and pain and the grace that saved us and set us free.
- In what way is everyone equal under the
cross?
M.T.
Clark: Everyone is equal under the cross because all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God. Everyone needs Jesus to be forgiven and to receive
the new and eternal life that God wants to give us. No matter what individual differences exist
in us, we are all equal in our need of a Savior. There are no sliding scales of
judgement where those who sin less don’t need God’s grace. We all need Jesus
and thus we are all on the same level ground at the foot of the cross.
- How does looking at other people through
the lens of God’s mercy change our feelings about them and about
ourselves?
M.T.
Clark: Looking at other people through the lens of God’s mercy makes us have
compassion and love for others as that view causes us to see them as “just like
me” in terms of needing Jesus and being blessed by being able to receive God’s
grace that allowed us to not only see our need but to humble ourselves to
surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Seeing
others through God’s lens should also cause us to humble ourselves as we
rightly realize that, we are no better than our fellow man because we too have
sinned and desperately needed Jesus.
Psalm Fragment
May he
judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor. Psalm 72:2-4
Journal Reflections
- Make a list of the people whom you would
like to bring into the presence of God today.
M.T.
Clark: As this devotion is being podcasted, I will not call anyone out publicly
here. I’ve gotten in trouble for that in the past. But as I write this I am
thinking about all the men in the Freedom in Christ course that I lead and some
other people that I feel could really benefit from being in the Lord’s presence
today.
- Write a line or two describing the
nature of your relationship with each of these people.
M.T. Clark:
My relationship to the men in the freedom in Christ course is an encourager and
a brother in Christ. My relationship to the other people I am thinking about is
that of an acquaintance, family member, or friend. There are lots of people I know that I would
like to bring into the presence of God so they could receive the hope, mercy
and love that He has for them.
Intercessions
For each person listed in your
journal today, pray: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with (name) according
to your firmness and your goodness.
M.T.
Clark:
Lord God,
I pray
that You and you alone deal with the people that I have on my heart according
to your firmness and goodness. I pray
for You to come into their presence today.
In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
Prayer for Today
Forgiving and transforming God, thank
you that under the cross of Christ we all stand equally together under your
love and mercy.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007
Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)
***As we are being
provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we
will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on
resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By
ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS concludes
The next question to
be considered is: Why preach the Gospel
to every creature? If God the Father has predestined only a limited number
to be saved, if God the Son died to effect the salvation of only those given to
Him by the Father, and if God the Spirit is seeking to quicken none save God’s
elect, then what is the use of giving the Gospel to the world at large, and
where is the propriety of telling sinners that “Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting
life”?
First; it is of great
importance that we should be clear upon the nature
of the Gospel itself. The Gospel is God’s good news concerning Christ and not
concerning sinners: “Paul a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
separated unto the Gospel of God … concerning
His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:1, 3). God would have proclaimed
far and wide the amazing fact that His own blessed Son “became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.” A universal testimony must be borne to the
matchless worth of the person and work of Christ. Note the word “witness” in
Matt. 22:14. The Gospel is God’s “witness” unto the perfections of His Son.
Mark the words of the apostle: “For we are unto
God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish”
(2 Cor. 2:15)!
Concerning the
character and contents of the Gospel the utmost confusion prevails today. The
Gospel is not an “offer” to be bandied around by evangelical peddlers. The
Gospel is no mere invitation but a proclamation, a proclamation concerning Christ; true whether men believe it or
not. No man is asked to believe that Christ died for him in particular. The
Gospel, in brief, is this: Christ died for sinners, you are a sinner, believe
in Christ, and you shall be saved. In the Gospel God simply announces the terms
upon which men may be saved (namely, repentance and faith) and,
indiscriminately, all are commanded to fulfill them.
Second, repentance
and remission of sins are to be preached in the name of the Lord Jesus “unto
all the nations” (Luke 24:47), because God’s elect are “scattered abroad” (John
11:52) among all nations, and it is
by the preaching and hearing of the Gospel that they are called out of the
world. The Gospel is the means which God uses in the saving of His own chosen
ones. By nature God’s elect are children of wrath “even as others”; they are
lost sinners needing a Saviour, and apart from Christ there is no salvation for
them. Hence, the Gospel must be believed by them before they can rejoice in the knowledge of sins forgiven. The
Gospel is God’s winnowing fan: it separates the chaff from the wheat, and
gathers the latter into His garner.
Third; it is to be
noted that God has other purposes in the preaching of the Gospel than the
salvation of His own elect. The world exists for the elect’s sake yet others
have the benefit of it. So the Word is preached for the elect’s sake yet others
have the benefit of an external call. The sun shines though blind men see it
not. The rain falls upon rocky mountains and waste deserts as well as on the
fruitful valleys; so also, God suffers the Gospel to fall on the ears of the
non-elect. The power of the Gospel is one of God’s agencies for holding in
check the wickedness of the world. Many who are never saved by it are reformed, their lusts are bridled,
and they are restrained from becoming worse. Moreover, the preaching of the
Gospel to the non-elect is made an admirable test of their characters. It exhibits the inveteracy of their sin:
it demonstrates that their hearts are
at enmity against God: it justifies the declaration of Christ that “men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Finally; it is
sufficient for us to know that we are bidden
to preach the Gospel to every creature. It is not for us to reason about the consistency between this and the fact
that “few are chosen.” It is for us to obey. It is a simple matter to ask
questions relating to the ways of God which no finite mind can fully fathom.
We, too, might turn and remind the objector that our Lord declared “Verily, I
say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme. But he that shall blaspheme against the
Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness”
(Mark 3:28, 29), and there can be no doubt whatever but that certain of the
Jews were guilty of this very sin
(see Matt. 12:24, etc.) and hence their destruction was inevitable. Yet,
notwithstanding, scarcely two months later, He commanded His disciples to
preach the Gospel to every creature.
When the objector can show us the consistency of these two things—the fact that
certain of the Jews had committed the sin for which there is never forgiveness,
and the fact that to them the Gospel
was to be preached—we will undertake to furnish a more satisfactory solution
than the one given above to the harmony between a universal proclamation of the Gospel and a limitation of its saving power to those only that God has
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Once more, we say, it
is not for us to reason about the
Gospel; it is our business to preach
it. When God ordered Abraham to offer up his son as a burnt-offering he might
have objected that this command was inconsistent
with His promise “In Isaac shall thy
seed be called.” But instead of arguing he obeyed, and left God to harmonize
His promise and His precept. Jeremiah might have argued that God had bade him
to do that which was altogether unreasonable when He said “Therefore thou shalt
speak all these words unto them; but they
will not hearken to thee; thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee” (Jer.
7:27), but instead, the prophet obeyed. Ezekiel, too, might have complained
that the Lord was asking of him a hard thing when He said “Son of man, go, get
thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them. For thou art
not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the
house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard language,
whose words thou cans’t not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they
would have hearkened unto thee. But the
house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto
Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted” (Ezek. 3:4–7).
“But, O my soul, if truth so bright
Should dazzle and confound thy sight,
Yet still His written Word obey,
And wait the great decisive day.”—Watts.
It has been well said, “The Gospel has lost
none of its ancient power. It is, as much today as when it was first preached,
‘the power of God unto salvation.’ It needs no pity, no help, and no handmaid.
It can overcome all obstacles, and break down all barriers. No human device
need be tried to prepare the sinner to receive it, for if God has sent it no
power can hinder it; and if He has not sent it, no power can make it
effectual.” (Dr. Bullinger).
This chapter might be
extended indefinitely, but it is already too long so a word or two more must
suffice. A number of other questions will be dealt with in the pages yet to
follow, and those that we fail to touch upon the reader must take to the Lord Himself
who has said “If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not” (Jas.
1:5).[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
