A precious sister in the Lord, whom God has graciously given me to disciple, just shared this wonderful sermon from Tullian Tchividjian given at the 2010 Desiring God conference.
Our faithful brother Tullian addresses three issues regarding the Gospel:
- Motivation - we need to be motivated to share the Gospel to share all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus and not what "good works" we can do in His name.
- Identity - Believing our sole identity is in Christ and His finished work and not in anything we do or what others say about us and what we should do, will provide us the true freedom Jesus suffered and died to give us. We already have God's favor Christ. We can't do anything to gain any more. What's more than Christ?
- Idolatry - There are more idols in the church than outside its walls. Many Christians today fall into Satan's trap that obedience and/or good works will provide more of God's grace and blessings. NO! We receive God's grace and blessings all because of Jesus and what He has done. Don't allow your "ministry" become your idol and purpose for living or even going to church. Let Jesus alone be your reason for every breath you take.
"Jesus plus nothing equals everything! Everything minus Jesus, equals nothing!" ~Tullian Tchividjian
Comments
And, Jesus plus anything equals a false gospel.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Sunny. Your note under "Idolatry" is so pertinent. There are many believers (and I have been one of them) who take the promises of blessing God gave to Israel in the Old Testament based on the Mosaic covenant and apply it to themselves, so arriving at the conclusion that God's grace and blessing is contingent on their obedience. I don't mean that God blesses disobedience...just that there tends to be this mindset that our good works earn more of God's blessing, or that His faithfulness to provide for us physically and spiritually depends on our obedience.
I think many believers aren't taught that God's plan and purposes for Israel through the Law of Moses aren't the same purpose and plan God has for His church, although they overlap. I just heard this weekend a believer say that since Christ is "the same, yesterday, today and forever", some of these commands and promises must apply to us today as well. But this can't be...God doesn't require believers to do the same things He commanded Israel to do, like conquer ungodly cities, be circumcised, make animal sacrifices...or even the commands that seem more palatable to the church today, like giving a certain percentage. What doesn't change is God's standard of righteousness and His character ...and the way of salvation has always been by grace through faith.
Gal 3:1-5:
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Gal 1:6-7 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I hope I didn't go off on a rabbit trail on this(and I hope it makes sense), but an issue of a particular work just came up this past weekend and is on my mind. Your post really resonated with my thoughts.
Christ all, and Christ alone!
AMEN precious sister Teresa! And I absolutely don't think you went off on a rabbit trail...not at all! :o) You're so obviously passionate about our Lord Jesus and all that He came to give us and I think that's wonderful! Besides, sharing all the Scripture you shared here is not only appropriate for this topic, but NEVER a bad thing, instead extremely exhorting!
ReplyDeleteYou've really blessed me today sister! Th ank you! Love you!♥
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Ephesians 4:29