Pastor Chuck's Blog

We’ve spent the last five Sundays talking about the cross in our worship services.  Our LifeGroups are doing a study on the cross.  We’ve said that one of our priorities as a church is to be cross-centered.  Are we talking about the cross too much?

I remember thinking early in my Christian walk that I had heard the story of the cross and was ready to move on to ‘deeper things.’  Oh man was I wrong!  I now believe, if done correctly, we can never talk too much about the cross.  All of existence is about Jesus and it’s at the cross that we see the blazing center of who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what was accomplished.  Chris Tomlinson posted something about this very thing recently.  I thought you would be blessed by it:

At the cross…

…We see God’s sovereignty—reigning with absolute control over humanity’s greatest sin.

…We see God’s purpose—making known the mystery of His will prepared before time.

…We see God’s plan—to unite all things, on heaven and on earth, in Him.

…We see God’s judgment—requiring recompense for guilt.

…We see God’s holiness—demanding the perfect sacrifice.

…We see God’s power—crushing the Son of God according to the purpose of His will.

…We see God’s wrath—punishing the wretchedness of sin.

…We see God’s sorrow—wailing as only a forsaken son can.

…We see God’s mystery—the Son, as God, separated from the Father, committing His Spirit to God.

…We see God’s compassion—pleading to the Father to forgive the ignorant.

…We see God’s gift—His one and only Son, bruised and broken on our behalf.

…We see God’s mercy—making unrighteous sinners righteous.

…We see God’s love—Christ dying for sinners.

…We see God’s rescue operation—delivering us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His Son.

…We see God’s proposal—pledging Himself to His bride forever.

…We see God’s revelation—the Word of God speaking His last so He might speak on behalf of many.

…We see God’s victory—disarming His enemies, putting them to shame, and triumphing over them.

…We see God’s glory—the name of the Father being magnified for the sake of all peoples.

Friends, the aim of life is to make much of God.  To do that, we must constantly be grateful for the cross and all the ramifications of Jesus’ sacrifice there.  I hope you are appreciating him more and more as we walk this journey together.  This coming Sunday, we will be exploring how bitterness and unforgiveness pull us away from the cross.  It’s a message you won’t want to miss.  I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Also, if you would like more information on how to get involved at Church on Mill, how to join the church, what our priorities are as a communinty of Jesus-followers, and what opportunities exist for you to make a difference, please join me at 9:30am this Sunday in the worship center.  We’ll spend 1 hour walking through some material that could be very beneficial.  Hope you can make it!

Thankful for the cross,

Chuck

On Sunday we explored yet another tendency that pulls people away from living the wonderful life where Jesus is at the very center of life: legalism.  Legalism is when we slip into thinking what we do makes us or keeps us right with God.  The legalist views God as someone who expects us to earn right-standing before him.  If we are just “good-enough” then he’ll quit being mad at us and instead will shower kindness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Our best actions can’t change the reality of our inward sinfulness that must be removed by accepting Jesus’ death in our place.

Basically this whole issue of legalism is an attitude towards sin.  The attitude views sin as something that can be overcome with correct behavior.  But there’s another side to this coin.  There’s another attitude towards sin that is equally destructive: license.  Some followers of Jesus are not legalists at all; instead, they see sin as essentially no big deal.  We might put it this way: If I can’t earn my salvation – it is just given to me by God – and if it is a permanent gift irrespective of my actions, then it doesn’t matter what I do…I’ll pray the sinner’s prayer, get my ’skip hell, go straight to heaven’ card, and then go on living however I want.  Of course we don’t verbalize it this way, but if you look at your life, do your actions show you approach life like this?

This problem is not new.  It happened in ancient Rome.  Paul wrote Romans, in part, to address this very issue.  Paul wrote, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin continue to live in it?” (Rom 6:1-2). In other words, how in the world could a Christian keep on living like they used to live when she’s been set free from it?

Friends, if you want to live the abundant life Jesus promised you, you must not fall into the terrible traps of legalism or license.  Instead, tow the middle line.  Take your on-going battle with sin seriously.  When you sin, repent quickly.  Thank Jesus for dying to pay the penalty for that sin.  Allow yourself to grieve for that.  If the situation fits, get accountability from a fellow Christian.  Correct the wrong if possible.  Seek forgiveness from others.  Put boundaries in place to so your chances of falling again lessen.  And then move on.  Don’t dwell in it.  Confession of sin is a door to walk through, not a room to live in.  God’s forgiveness is supernatural.  Enjoy it!

Grateful,

Chuck

Yesterday we explored one of my favorite topics – what happens when someone becomes a Christian.  We analyzed specifically what God does with the guilt and condemnation hanging over our necks.  If you were there, you’ll recall that God takes our guilt, sin, and condemnation and puts it on Christ; therefore, Christ’s death satisfies God’s justice.  This means believers are wrath-free and condemnation free!  Praise God.  He takes off our enslavement.

But what does he put on us?  What are we wearing?  Unfortunately we did not have time to go into that.  If you want to sound really smart, go tell a fellow believer he or she is wearing ‘imputed righteousness.’  No, that’s not a new line of clothing.  It’s something far greater.  When God takes off the filth, guilt, and condemnation covering us as non-believers, he doesn’t leave us naked (praise God!).  He clothes us in the most brilliant outfit there is — Jesus Christ.  The right standing, the perfection, the glory of Jesus Christ is put on us.  Just like Adam’s sin is passed on to us as babies, Christ’s lack of anything unholy is placed on us when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

This is precisely why when you and I sin as believers we are not declared condemned and bound for hell again.  When God looks at you, friend, he sees the right standing and perfection of his Son.  He loves you and accepts you as He does His Son.

What are you wearing?  If you are a Jesus-follower, you are wearing the right-standing and moral perfection of Jesus.  You might not feel like it today, but that’s the truth.  You might not be acting like it today, but that’s the truth.  You might doubt it today, but that’s the truth.  So let your knees hit the floor, praise God for this gift, and then – by relying on the Holy Spirit – enjoy it and live like it!

Thanking God,

Chuck