Pastor Grant's Blog

Assurance

2012-01-14T10:56:00.001-08:00

Charles H. Spurgeon used to tell years ago the story of a huckster. His name was Jack and he was one of the happiest men in London. He went about singing a little verse:

I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all,
But Jesus Christ is my All in all.

Those who knew him were astonished at his constant composure. They had a world of doubts and fears, and so they asked him why he never doubted. "Well," said he, "I cannot doubt but what I am a poor sinner, and nothing at all, for I know that and feel it every day. And why should I doubt that Jesus Christ is my All in all? For He says He is." "Oh!" said his questioner, "I have my ups and downs." "I do not," says Jack; "I can never go up, for I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all; and I cannot go down, for Jesus Christ is my All in all."

He wanted to join the church, and they said he must tell his experience. He said, "All my experience is that I am a poor sinner and nothing at all, and Jesus Christ is my All in all." "Well," they said, "when you come before the church meeting, the minister may ask you questions." "I can't help it," said Jack, "all I know I will tell you, and that is all I know—

I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all,
But Jesus Christ is my All in all."

He was admitted into the church, and continued with the brethren, walking in holiness; but that was still all his experience, and you could not get him beyond it. "Why," said one brother, "I sometimes feel so full of grace, I feel so advanced in sanctification, that I begin to be very happy." "I never do," said Jack, "I am a poor sinner, and nothing at all." "But then," said the other, "I go down again and think I am not saved, because I am not sanctified as I used to be." Said Jack, "I never doubt my salvation, because Jesus Christ is my All in all, and He never alters." The old huckster knew the secret of the Gospel and of true Christian experience, which is "Not I, but Christ."

CH Mackintosh on Assurance

2011-03-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is from Part 3 of The Christian: His Position and His Work. I am going to be putting the whole book, along with other works from C.H. Mackintosh on the church library page here.

"It is absolutely essential to the enjoyment of settled peace that the heart should rest solely on the authority of holy scripture. Nothing else will stand. Inward evidences, spiritual experiences, comfortable frames, happy feelings, are all very good, very valuable, and very desirable; indeed we cannot prize them too highly in their right place. But, most assuredly, their right place is not at the foundation of the Christian position. If we look to such things as the ground of our peace, we shall very soon become clouded, uncertain, and miserable.
The reader cannot be too simple in his apprehension of this point. He must rest like a little child upon the testimony of the Holy Ghost in the word. It is blessedly true that "He that believeth hath the witness in himself" And again, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." All this is essential to Christianity; but it must, in no wise, be confounded with the witness of the Holy Ghost, as given to us in holy scripture. The Spirit of God never leads any one to build upon His work as the ground of peace, but only upon the finished work of Christ, and the unchangeable word of God; and we may rest assured that the more simply we rest on these the more settled our peace will be, and the clearer our evidences, the brighter our frames, the happier our feelings, the richer our experiences.
In short, the more we look away from self and all its belongings, and rest in Christ, on the clear authority of scripture, the more spiritually minded we shall be; and the inspired apostle tells us that "to be spiritually minded (or, the minding of the Spirit) is life and peace." The best evidence of a spiritual mind is child-like repose in Christ and His word. The clearest proof of an unspiritual mind is self-occupation. It is a poor affair to be trafficking in our evidences, or our anything. It looks like piety, but it leads away from Christ — away from scripture — away from God; and this is not piety or faith, or Christianity.
We are intensely anxious that the reader should seize, with great distinctness, the importance of committing his whole moral being to the divine authority of the word of God. It will never fail him. All else may go, but "the word of our God shall stand for ever." Heart and flesh may fail. Internal evidences may become clouded; frames, feelings, and experiences may all prove unsatisfactory; but the word of the Lord, the testimony of the Holy Ghost, the clear voice of holy scripture, must ever remain unshaken. "And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto us."

A Quote From Dr. Chafer

2011-03-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this quote with you:

"The heavenly people, by the very exalted character of their salvation being 'made' to stand in all the perfection of Christ (Rom. 3:22; 5:1; 8:1; 10:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:22; Eph. 1:6), have no burden laid upon them of establishing personal merit before God since they are perfected forever in Christ (Heb. 10:9-14); but they do have the new responsibility of 'walking worthy' of their high calling (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:1-3; Col. 3:1-3). No system of merit, such as the law, could possibly be applied to a people who by riches of divine grace have attained to a perfect standing, even every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10). It is to be expected that the injunctions addressed to a perfected heavenly people will be as exalted as heaven itself; and they are (cf.. John 13:34; Rom. 6:11-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Gal. 5:16; Eph. 4:30; 5:18). Similarly, as these requirements are superhuman and yet the doing of them is most essential, God has provided that each individual thus saved shall be indwelt by the Holy Spirit to the end that he may, by dependence on the Spirit and by the power of the Spirit, live a supernatural, God-honoring life—not, indeed, to be accepted but because he is accepted. Those who would intrude the Mosaic system of merit into this heaven-high divine administration of superabounding grace either have no conception of the character of that merit which the law required, or are lacking in the comprehension of the glories of divine grace." Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. IV, p 19.

If we could only bring back to light the heavenly nature of the Church, the bickering about earthly things would cease. We are sojourners in this world, but citizens of Heaven, seated in Christ at the right hand of God (Eph 1:20, 2:6). Dispensationalism is about a literal approach to the Scripture, sure, but even more, it is about the heavenly nature of the Church. To deny it is to bring the Heavenly Church back down to the earth and to exchange our place in Christ as His Bride, His very Body, for something far less.

Abide in Him, at the right hand of God, far above all principality and power and might and dominion. That is where you are, dear brother, dear sister. It is your unique privilege as members of the entirely New Creation.

90.9 The Word

2011-02-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

So I made a quick trip over to Wally World to pick up some late-night Ice Cream and I turned on one of my favorite stations, 90.9 The Word, to see if there was some wisdom to gain in my 3-minute car ride (as I so often find from them).

The guy on the show was talking about how it was important to set a hedge of space far away from the proverbial "edge" so that if you slip up, you still have some room before you fall. Seems like wisdom, doesn't it?

His specific example was that when he hugs a woman, he has rules for himself about where he can touch her, how long he can embrace her, etc.

Now, I know this brother was just trying his best, and expressing the only way he knows to try to control the sin problem. But he was unwittingly bringing himself and others further into bondage to the sin he was trying to avoid. Just by setting up these rules about how and where he can touch a woman when he hugs her, he's already turned her into an object of lust. At that point there's no such thing for him as a holy hug, even if they only touch pinky fingernails for a millisecond. As long as that rule is in place, he can never have a godly relationship with a woman.

If, on the other hand he sees her as a sister in Christ, an object of God's love, why would he have to regulate himself when interacting with her? Wouldn't his godly love for her naturally result in appropriate affection and appropriate thoughts toward her? This is what Paul was talking about when he said, "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh" (2 Cor 5:16). If I don't regard a woman according to the flesh, I can hug her without an impure thought or the slightest draw towards inappropriate touching.

Now, if all we have is our own, self-willed efforts to control the sin problem, the best we could hope for is to struggle miserably the way the guy on the radio was talking about. But that's not the case. We, all of us in Christ, have died to sin and are alive to God. We need only to reckon it so and we find it true in experience.

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Col 2:20-23)

It may seem like wisdom to build a hedge way back from the edge. But if you're standing on top of a cliff of legalism, the sand it's made of is already crumbling and your fall is inevitable. For me, I'd rather mount up on wings like eagles (Isa 40:29-31).

God's Philanthropy

2011-02-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

Titus 3:5 is one of those really great gospel verses that makes it so clear that "works which we have done" can play no role in our salvation. Gotta love that. But I learned something recently about v. 4 just makes it even better.

Titus 3:4-6 reads:

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior

In v. 4, the word translated "love... toward man" is the Greek word philanthrōpia where we get our English word philanthropy, which is to say love of man (of course, you ladies are included too). Love of man just because he is man. It's the only time in the Bible this word is used of God, but just this once is enough to make an impression.

We were created in the image of God, but we were also made lower than the angels, in need of help in everything. In that, I'm reminded at the way I see my two-year-old, beautiful, hard-headded, helpless little boy. What a joy he is. I love him because he's my son, but I also love him because he is so helpless, so in need of a loving father.

So God, being a God of love, loves us too, just because we are men. Beautiful, hard-headded, helpless little men, in need of a loving Father, and in need also of a Savior. And His love, being perfect, provided exactly what we needed.

Thank You, Lord.

Liberty in Christ

2011-02-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

It breaks my heart to see Christians in bondage to legalism and all the guilt and shame that come with it. Too many dear brothers and sisters are too concerned with questions like "is it OK to do _________" where _________ has nothing to do with spiritual living at all. Sadly, this is usually the ones who desire most to live holy.

For God's sake, and for your own sake as well, stop beating yourself up. The Lord wants you to live in freedom.

Take your mind off of what you can and can't do, and fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. That's the only way to bring the flesh into subjection to God and His holy standard.

Thus saith the Lord:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Gal 5:1

and

"...where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" 2 Cor 3:17

and finally,

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—'Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,' which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, [self-imposed] humility, and [self-imposed] neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Col 2:20-23)

There is no life to be found down the path of legalism, the only thing down there is self-imposed failure (see also Romans 7). Come this way. Take the path of freedom and enjoy God-imposed victory, won for you in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Perspective

2010-11-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

My good friend Sky got his first chance to preach at church this past Sunday, and I was really blessed by what he had to share. He spoke about perspective and I was just so impacted with the need to keep everything in right perspective. Specifically in this way -- nothing outside of Christ really matters. He is the purpose of everything, and what He is doing is building up His Body (the Church). The only reason we exist is to be a vessel for God to pour all of His grace and spiritual riches into, and He is going to spend all of eternity doing just that. What's more is that the more we let Him do that for us now, the more He will be able to do that for us in the Kingdom and beyond.

What this comes down to is, why worry about anything else? "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matt 6:33

Spiritual Gifts and Changes

2010-11-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

In 1 Corinthians 12-13, Paul wrote a lot about spiritual gifts and their function in the Body of Christ. He makes a few really important points:

1) We each receive a specific set of spiritual gifts, according to the Holy Spirit's choosing, the moment we are baptized into Christ by faith.
2) We all have different gifts.
3) Our gifts are given, not for self edification, but for edification of the Body
4) Our differences mean that we should all serve in different ways (according to how we are gifted)
5) We desperately need each other to fill up where each of us are lacking on our own.
6) This happens in the local Body.
7) The end of it all is love.

In so many ways, this is foundational to everything I believe. But I've found that I've been working against this principle in the way I teach. I don't have the gift of prophecy (the prophet is the one who always has that piercing word to say to make people uncomfortable and desiring to correct their lifestyle). This is what a lot of really great preachers have, Charles Spurgeon, Dr. Earl Radmacher, and Martin Luther are great examples of this. Some great preachers are encouragers, Charles Swindoll jumps out to me as a perfect example. The word of knowledge is my primary teaching gift, not prophecy, not encouragement. By this God has made me a better teacher than a preacher. So what I need to do is to embrace it and do what I've been gifted to do; it is according to His will after all!

Every now and then, I get this strong conviction from the Spirit like a fire in my belly that says, "go out, roll up your sleeves, and give 'em a kick in the pants on Sunday," but not usually. Usually, I have a passion for some truth that I want to convey clearly, and to let the truth have its effect over time (the truth will make you free). God has given our church the gifts of prophecy and encouragement through others, and I don't need to be that. "If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?" (1 Cor 12: 17). The best way I can love my little flock is to embrace the gifts that God has given me and use them for their edification. So, it seems that God is bringing notes and powerpoint and other teaching tools back into my life, and I can't wait to see what He has planned. It's going to be an awesome change, because I'm sure, based on the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 12-13, that it's His will for us.

So, a funny thing happened

2010-11-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

God showed Himself to be faithful once again. About a month ago, we got a bill for a checkup that Tamara had had at the doctor's office, and though all she was doing was getting a routine physical and well woman's exam, the bill was just shy of $900. That's a whole lot of money to us. As I was looking at the bill, it was apparent that we were being charged out-of-network rates, even though it was an in-network visit. For those of you who don't know much about insurance, even when your insurance doesn't cover certain medical care, you get a great discount just by having insurance (it can range from 30-70%). We weren't getting that discount. So, I tried and tried to get a hold of the billing company to get it straitened out and they wouldn't answer or call me back... a month had passed and I told Tamara, "God is going to take care of us, and it's His money anyway; we can just go ahead and pay it." This was a big change in attitude for me, to say the least.

The next day Tamara got a call from the billing company. I was able to tell them about the situation, they realized what they had done wrong, and told us they'd send us a corrected bill. They couldn't have been nicer. It's so predictable that it's funny. God always goes to work and does amazing things when we just have a little faith.

God Has Always Known

2010-11-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

From all eternity, God has known every mistake you would ever make, every last time you have missed or will miss His mark. Yet, not only does He still love you, but He was and is still so very in love with you that He sacrificed His Son just to be with you (Romans 5:8). It is a precious thing to stand forgiven before God, knowing that you are accepted, but sometimes we don't feel as though we are.

I'm coming to know more and more how vital it is to know just how forgiven we are. As far as East is from the West, God has removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12), and we have the right to a clear conscience. A life free from guilt is God's design for us, because guilt is nothing but a trap set by the devil to keep us separated from God and wallowing in sadness. Satan knows that only in intimate union with Christ can we live holy lives.

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The word for confess in the Greek means to say the same. The idea is that we say the same thing God does about our sins. But what does He say? He says that yes, indeed we are sinners, and yes indeed our sin is a hindrance to us living the joyful life God desires for us. But let's not forget that God also says we are forgiven, that our sins are separated from us as far as East is from the West, that our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Heb 10:22).

Always know that God has always known, yet He gave His Son for you. You are loved. You are forgiven. Cast off the burden of shame and fix your eyes on Jesus.

Time to get to work!

2010-11-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm finding that God is opening up a lot of opportunity to share His love with others in new ways, but I've got a lot of work to do. The new website is up, which is a huge blessing, and our daily hit count is up to 1200 per day (about 110 individual viewers each day). For a church of about 20 members, that's a big audience! I've got a ton of things I'd like to put up on the site to help people wrestle through God's Word and that's what I'll be focusing on for the next several weeks. I hope many of you who enjoy the site and this blog (not that there's much in the blog to get excited about yet) will come and see us on Sundays. It's a lot easier to love on people in person!

First blog post...

2010-11-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

In this blog, I hope to be able to share what God is doing in my life, specifically the things He is teaching me. I hope that it's both enjoyable to read and helpful to whomever stumbles across it.

A quick caution: The Bible is a hard-hitting book and, while I always seek to speak the truth in love, I don't intend to avoid the hard hitting truths. Please keep a spirit of kindness in all comments. Rude or offensive comments will be deleted.