Put On Christ

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Rom. 13:14)

The book of Romans is one of the greatest books in all of the Bible. It is a well of great gospel-rich truths of what God has done for sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also practical for instructing us in our daily living as believers. One of those practical instructions is found in the verse mentioned above, a verse that Augustine, perhaps the greatest western theologian ever, read in 386 A.D. and was born-again on the spot. 

Paul writes for believers to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ." This is a powerful metaphor for us to consider. Every day before we leave our homes we "put on" clothes, coats, jewelry, hats, and different items. Paul says we are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to put on Jesus like a garment. We are to consciously wear him as we go. We should consider ourselves naked until we have robed ourselves with him. But what does it mean to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ?"

First, it is to remind ourselves that it is his righteousness that clothes us with acceptance before God. In Christ alone, and his righteousness, are we pardoned before God and looked upon as holy. It is not our holiness or by our works, but totally his, that reconciles us before the Father. Reminding yourself that you belong to God, and are loved by Him, not because of your works, but because the works of Jesus for you, is a great way to begin each and every day. It is also a good hourly reminder as your day unfolds.

Second, it to remind ourselves that we must abide in him daily for power to overcome Satan, our flesh, and the temptations of this world. Jesus says in John 15 if we abide in him, and his word abides in us, we will bear much fruit. Apart from him we can do nothing. We put on Christ to remind ourselves that if we are ever detached from him, the Vine of God, we will wither and die. 

But Paul is not finished. After instructing us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," he adds, "and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." This is vital to catch. We begin by robing ourselves in Christ and his righteousness. Then we choke out the flesh, which naturally breeds and gives birth to sin. We war against the desires of the flesh, not by gratifying what it wants, but starving it out. By not making provisions for our flesh, we are choking out the fountain and source from which sin flows. What does it mean to "make no provisions for the flesh?" 

First, it is to minimize your exposure to things that would provoke or breed sinful desires. If you have struggles with lust, do not put yourself in situations where temptation to lust will be prominent. If the computer tempts you to engage in inappropriate material, then put filters on your computer. If you struggle with gossip, commit yourself to lead conversations wandering down the road of gossip toward other topics.

Second, it is to immediately confess and repent of sin when we recognize its existence in our lives. One of the ways that we quit making provisions for the flesh is when we recognize sin in our lives, we confess it before God, and we quit doing it. We repent. We stop engaging in it, and we turn to Christ for strength. 

This verse is a command, but it is written in as a metaphor for powerful effect. Paul wants us to see how to live our daily life in Christ. He instructs us to "put on Christ," remind yourself of the righteousness that is yours in the Son of God. He warns us to "make no provisions for the flesh, to gratify its sinful desires." This command instructs us to turn from those things which would lead us astray. Left to ourselves, we will wander into sin. We wear garments of flesh, and these garments want and crave sin. To suppress these garments, we must wear something over them. We put on Christ. We are to robe ourselves in the majesty of the King from Nazareth.

This is how a Christian daily prepares themselves to start the day. Resolve to never leave your house naked; put on Christ. 

The Illogical Logic of Abortion

We have all been gripped the last several days by the news of the women and young child held captive in Cleveland, Ohio for the last decade. Ariel Castro, the perpetrator whose guilty of this heinous act, went beyond kidnapping on his ten year depraved joy ride. Castro reportedly raped these women at will, and forcefully aborted the babies in the wombs that he filled.

However, the irony of watching the news channels talk about this story, is that no focus is on these aborted children. Michelle Knight, one of the young women abducted, had at least five pregnancies aborted as a result of this barbaric act. This is a travesty. There are more than three victims in this story, there are at least eight victims, if not many more. Yet, when the news channels discuss and report what has happened, we do not hear the babies aborted referred to as victims. In fact, when Castro was charged, the charge of murder was missing from his rap sheet.

Here is my question: Why is the media, politicians, and advocacy groups not protesting that little to no focus is on these babies as victims in this crime, and why is Mr. Castro not being charged with their murder? 

There is only one answer: political reasons. For political purposes, the media is not focusing on the babies as victims. They are not outraged that Castro was not charged with their murder. Why not? Because they know that while the babies are victims and Castro is guilty of murder, if they say so, they will then face the question of why every abortion does not fall into this category. That is why! The illogical logic of abortion will quickly be exposed if they acknowledge what has happened in Cleveland, OH is a crime and the babies are victims. 

What is the difference between what happened in the dark corners of a basement in Cleveland and what happens in clinics on your local street corners? Some will say, "well, it is different because women who go to clinics WANT to have an abortion. These women in Cleveland DID NOT WANT an abortion. That is what makes it different." But this logic is terrible. We are saying, if you don't want your baby, it's legal to kill it and it's NOT murder? But if you want your baby, and someone else causes its death, then IT IS murder? Really? That is what marks the difference between a child living or dying these days, whether we want it or do not want it?

I am distraught over the mass genocide of babies in the womb. They cannot voice their rights. Someone has to stand up for them. Are we willing to quit standing in silence, afraid of the shame and ridicule? As a father of two, with one in my wife's womb now, I am disgusted that we have become a nation and culture that is okay with aborting unwanted humans. It reminds me of the German citizens in Nazi Germany, who sat by as millions of Jews were slaughtered around them. They may have been against it, but they did nothing to stop it. Is that what we have become?

Lord, have mercy on us.

Memorizing Scripture (Part II)

"Rather train yourself for godliness."(1 Timothy 4:7)

In yesterday's post, I explored the idea of Scripture memorization being one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines by Christians today. I outlined a handful of reasons why this is the case. Today, I want to state why I believe we should commit ourselves to storing the Word of God in our hearts, as well as how we can begin this profitable habit. 

With all the Bibles available today, why should we memorize portions of Scripture? We already have a Bible everywhere we go considering they are downloaded on our phones, iPads, Desktops, and other devises. So are there any reasons why we should commit Holy Scripture to memory? I believe there are; here are two big ones:

1. Memorizing Scripture causes you to Meditate & Reflect on Scripture. It is impossible to memorize passages without reflecting on the texts. This is one of the most fruitful effects of Scripture memorization. Meditating on His testimonies puts them in your head and your heart. Maturity in Christ comes as we know the Word in our hearts. 

2. Memorizing Scripture Arms & Equips you in Moments of Need. There are times in life when you need an immediate word of wisdom or a comforting word of encouragement. Other times it may be a word of strength to overcome a moment of temptation, sadness, or fear. Having Scripture memorized prepares you for those moments. (see Jesus' encounter w/ Satan in Matthew 4)

Those are a couple reasons why we should memorize Scripture, so how do we begin? I want to offer a few suggestions in the form of both strategies and resources. Here's how to begin:

1. Make Scripture Memorization a Matter of Prayer. Before you jump into some self-willed, flesh-driven effort, go before the Lord and declare to Him your desire to feast more richly on His Word through memorization. Ask Him to give you direction in what to memorize and ask Him to give you power to prevail in both memorization and perseverance. 

2. Start with Manageable Goals. Do not begin with memorizing the book of Romans. Instead, begin with Romans 3:23 or Romans 8:1. The point is to begin with some individual verses before moving into paragraphs, chapters, and books. This does not mean you neglect memorizing bigger portions of Scripture, just not when starting off. 

3. Memorize Practically Helpful Passages. All of Scripture is God's Word, but some passages speak more to the practical needs in our lives. Memorize Scriptures across different categories: God's holiness, God's sovereignty, man's sinfulness, the glory of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the call to faith and repentance, assurances of help from God, prayer, calls to holiness, etc. Find passages that help you with struggles with sins such as lust, worry, anger, or greed. 

4. Get a Memory Partner. Find someone to take the challenge with you and spur one another along. Set deadlines, rehearse passages to each other, give impromptu quizzes, etc. We grow faster in community.

5. Tap into the Overwhelming Number of Available Resources. There are so many apps and different helps to the person who wants to get serious about this. Here are some to check out: A.) Fighter Verses, B.) Partnering to Remember, C.) 32 Ways to Remember Scripture.

Oh that we would be a people that gave our greatest efforts, our most intense training, toward godly things! May God use these posts on Memorizing Scripture call us all to be people who store the Word of God in our hearts so they are available for use in our lives, whenever we need them...which is every moment of every day. 

Give your feedback about the post in the comments section. What things have been helpful to you? 

Memorizing Scripture (Part I)

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might no sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)

I recently spoke at a men's event on the pursuit of holiness. One of the practical applications I made to the men was to memorize Scripture. I then took an impromptu survey by a raise of hands of how many of these men were currently engaged in the discipline of Scripture memorization. Not one person raised their hand.

The psalmist in Psalm 119 is writing about his love, the worth, and the truth of the Word of God. The entire psalm, the longest of all the psalms, and the longest chapter in the Bible, is all about the Scriptures. They are called different things: testimonies, the law, word, commandments, counsel, righteous rules, promises, and precepts. Regardless of what name he gives them, the subject is the same, Holy Scripture.

In Psalm 119:11 the psalmist says that he stores up God's word in his heart. The idea here is memorization. To store is to stock or reserve something so it is available for use. The psalmist says he stores God's word. He stocks it in his heart so that it is available for use. And the context of the entire psalm makes clear that this was not done begrudgingly; he loved and treasured the Scriptures.

Why do we not take time to memorize Scripture? I believe there are many reasons, here are some:

1. We are lazy with our minds. We get bored and distracted very easily. If we have to exercise our mental faculties, many give up and quit fairly quickly.

2. We are too busy. We have too much going on to set time aside to memorize God's Word. The irony is, we fill our days and lives with things less important than feeding on God's Word, and neglect things that will put the rest of our lives in perspective.

3. We are not lovers of the Bible. Not everyone loves the Word. Not everyone is captivated by God's law. Not everyone treasures the Bible. If we do not esteem the worth of the Scriptures, we will never want to devote ourselves to learning, understanding, and memorizing them.

4. We are blind to the benefit. If you don't believe something will benefit you, you will rarely pursue it. You go to work, not because you love it, but because you know it benefits you. You diet, not because you love it, but because it benefits you. You fail to memorize Scripture because you fail to see the benefits.

5. We are uncertain where to begin. Many people get paralyzed by not knowing where to start. The Bible is a big book. What should I memorize? How do I choose verses? These questions can hinder you from ever beginning.

Reflect on your own commitment to memorizing God's Word. Are you actively in the discipline of memorizing Scripture? Which of the reasons mentioned above deter you from it?

Weigh in your thoughts about this post in the comments section. Tomorrow I will post Part II on this topic and outline "why" (the benefits) we should memorize Scripture and "how" (the method) to do it.

To Pastors & Those They Preach To

In a culture increasingly slipping away from biblical truth, pastors must be voices in the wilderness crying out the gospel. But many have slipped into being just another voice in the crowd, another voice that echoes the culture's fall from truth. Christians need to learn how to discern those voices, and understand which are speaking God's truth. Not every person who stands on a stage and mentions Jesus is preaching the gospel. Not every person who reads from their Bible is properly teaching from it. Listen with discernment.

My encouragement to pastors, as you prepare your sermons each week, is make sure that the gospel is so prevalent in your messages, that your congregation is immediately alarmed in instances when they do not hear it. Be sure to saturate your folks with gospel-rich and Christ-centered preaching, so when they encounter false teachers and false teaching, they can spot it. The taste buds and palate of their hearts should be so used to hearing the gospel in sermons, that when they hear sermons missing the gospel or distorting the gospel, it does not sit right with them. It should immediately be a sour and bitter taste in their mouths. They should be instantly asking, "Where is Jesus?! Where is the Gospel?!"

I want desperately for my congregation to have this ability. I want TJC folks to be excellent at discerning a sermon that has the gospel and one that does not. 

My question for us pastors: is our preaching so saturated with the gospel and with Christ exalting truths that our congregations are being taught subconsciously to spot a fraud when they hear it?  

My encouragement to those who listen to sermons is simple: tune in to those who truly preach the gospel and tune out those who do not. Listen for the gospel. Listen for Christ as the centerpiece of the sermon, not a later add-on. Listen and ask yourself, "Is he sticking to the Bible and teaching from it or is he simply spouting off opinion as the Bible goes largely untouched?"

My questions to those who listen to preaching: are you able to discern biblical preaching from false teaching? Can you spot a gospel-less sermon? 

As the cultural war over truth rages on, Christians should be regularly arming themselves with the truth. If we are to stand in our society where truth is attacked, then we must continue to be engaged with the truth. This is why pastors must commit to preaching gospel-centered sermons. And it is why believers must place themselves under gospel-centered teaching. Anything less is compromise of the most destructive kind.