From Sunday School - Good Stuff!

Here are the scriptures we talked about in our Middle School Sunday School class. They were a blast, and I figured it'd be fun to share what we talked about. Here is this blog's layout. First, scriptures we talked about. Secondly, a song we sung during worship. Last, a discussion of some of what we talked about. Enjoy!

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Isaiah 53:5-6 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities (sins); the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity (sin) of us all."

Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we hace peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 3:10-12 "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.' "

Romans 3:23-24 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

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Sunday we sang "By His Wounds" by Glory Revealed, which really gave the class something to talk about. Here are the lyrics...

(Verse)
He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

(Chorus)
We are healed by Your sacrifice
And the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

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All that being said, God is amazing. That verse in Isaiah is what we were going to discuss, and singing it during worship really gave the students a place to start from. So I asked them, "What does it mean? We were all singing it this morning; what were we singing about?" And then we were able to see how very specifically it is about Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross.

The Lord had revealed something to the prophet Isaiah; Isaiah was looking ahead to a suffering servant. Isaiah wrote "he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that was our peace was upon him." Here Jesus' death and suffering is revealed, ahead of time. And not only do we see His suffering, but "the punishment that was our peace was upon him." That punishment that he bore has become our peace. Look at what the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul in Romans.

"since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Peace with God is established through Jesus Christ alone, by grace through faith. The punishment that Jesus Christ bore on the cross, that has become our peace; by his wounds we are healed of sin and oppression by Satanic forces (yes, demonic activity is still going on. People are still bound and need to be released). Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me." He is the only means by which we can obtain peace with God and approach the Father.

Can we be good enough on our own? What does scripture testify about man? "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." How did Isaiah describe it? "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity (sin) of us all." Once more, just to make sure it is clear, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." By ourselves, God clearly shows that we fall short of His perfection and holiness. Rather than obeying God's ways and adhering to God's standards, everyone of us "have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way."

But here's the good news. God knew that was mankind's condition a long time ago, and provided a means by which we could have peace with Him. The prophet Isaiah testified, "and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity (sin) of us all." What is he saying? Here is the wonder of God's love. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." When we were undeserving, He took the punishment of our sins upon Himself so that we could have peace with God. Even more so, by the punishment he bore, we can be healed.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Not one of us measures up to God's standards, but in His love He gave His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Now, through Jesus Christ, we can be made right with God. And here is where good news gets better. We are justified freely. Justified simply means that God has declared someone innocent and guiltless; it means to absolve us of all the charges that were against us. God, who is rich in mercy, justifies us at no cost to us. The only thing he requires is that we believe on Jesus - to trust Jesus Christ for our righteousness. Jesus paid it all so that it could be free for us.

While Jesus was walking the earth, some people wanted to follow Jesus and asked "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." That is all God requires. Will you put your trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins? There is no other way we can be saved; there is no other way to have peace with God. God showed us His love by laying down His life for us. He is trustworthy; you can trust Him. To the one who believes in Him, he says "never will I leave you, nor will I forsake you," and His promises are true.

Trust Him, believe Him. There is peace for you.

The Religious Part In Me That Still Lingers...

This is a confession of sorts - a confession of what I still find going on in me from time to time. When I read this passage of scripture, what I found was incriminating. It marked out something in me that is not of God, and drew me closer to Him that I might be changed more into His image. This is what I read... John 5

Here's the story, short and sweet. A little time after Jesus healed a man's son who was close to death, Jesus went to Jerusalem. There was a pool there, where the disabled would lie and wait. They would wait there because from time to time an Angel of the Lord would stir the waters, and the first one in the pool would be healed. Among the disabled people was an invalid who had been there for thirty-eight years, unable to make it into the pool before anyone else. Yet, he still waited there hoping to be the first one day and be healed.

Jesus saw him lying there, and learned how long he had been there, and told the man "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." Immediately he was healed, so he picked up his mat and walked.

But! This took place on the Sabbath, and the Jews told the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, the law forbids you to carry your mat." Yet, the man simply told them, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'"

...

Here I will stop the summary, and let you in on what was going on in my heart. Here we see the power of God, taking pity on a man and healing Him, and all the Jews can do is focus on one detail and ignore the big picture. The Jews were too concerned about doing no "work" on the Sabbath and were unable to grasp what God was doing. They couldn't rejoice with the man, who after thirty-eight years of lying by a pool, had finally received from God what he had been hoping for. They couldn't recognize God at work, all because of one detail.

And I find that I too have this religious part in me, that can take hold of one thing and cling to it, ignoring the beauty of what is happening around me. I am too proud and confident in my own knowledge and discernment too often, and when I am invited to partake of the glory of God and to rejoice in what He is doing, it is the small things that I can get hung up on.

So here I am, finding myself falling short of the glory and righteousness of God... kind of.

But here is the beauty of this place. I am unworthy, and if I look at my ability, I fall short every time. I cannot achieve His perfection. But yet, I am not condemned, for Jesus is my righteousness. His blood has cleansed my heart and covered my sin, and God looks at me and sees the righteousness of His Son, His own righteousness. Even when I disagree with someone on just one point, and for that reason shut myself off from what God is doing, He still looks on me with love and full acceptance because my hope is not in what I can do. My hope is set fully on the blood of Jesus.

And that religious part in me, that plagues me and becomes a hindrance, will be fully put to death one day. Until then, it is the mercy and kindness of the Lord that draws me to Himself, that allows me to "boldly approach the throne of grace, that I might find mercy and help in my time of need." And I am very needy - in need of Him. I know that in this body of flesh still dwells a sin nature, and am in need of His grace day by day that I may come boldly into His presence, to see Him and be changed.

This is where I am, and I know there are many other issues to be dealt with in my flesh. While He takes care of those impurities, I will continue in the things He has given me to do, for by His grace I have been made righteous and am not declared guilty for my shortcomings. Thank you Jesus!

Fast Food and Faith

I work at Chick-fil-a, and we call ourselves a quick-service restaurant (same as fast food, just cleverly disguised under a fancier description). We serve chicken filets, chicken nuggets, chicken strips, chicken salad, chicken salad sandwiches, and sometime this year we will be getting a spicy chicken sandwich! What I find interesting, though, isn't the food we serve, but rather the people who serve it.

During my time at Chick-fil-a, there has always been employees who waltz right in the door and start barking orders as if they're somebody special. How does everyone else respond? They hate him/her (in my store, it's generally been a guy). They ignore that individual because even though he/she may have great ideas, he/she does not understand how authority has been structured at Chick-fil-a. In short, these bossy butts (yes, I actually used "bossy butt" in a sentence...) have no right to say half of the things they say, yet they try to act as if they are some sort of authority figure.

What does this have to do with faith? Everything.

In Romans 14, believers are instructed to "accept him whose faith is weak without passing judgment." If someone believes it is wrong to eat meat, one who eats meat should not judge the other man/woman. What rights do we have to pass judgment on a child of God, who He has called righteous in His sight? They are His servant, not ours. They answer to Him, as will we. We'd do better to make sure we are walking in a manner pleasing to our Master.

Also, think about this. It is also written that "Christ died and returned to life that He may be the Lord of both the living and the dead." In other words, Jesus Christ is Lord of ALL. He reigns over every person who exists, existed, and will exist. All will be held accountable to Him, and no other. So why judge your brother for their weak faith, for whom Christ died? You will answer to the same Master as they.

Therefore, we need a shift in our mindset. It says in the same chapter that "the kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit," and all of these things come by faith. Further, "anything that does not come from faith is sin." Recall, "without faith it is impossible to please God." The issue is not whether eating meat or drinking wine is wrong - the issue is about the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is by faith that we received the righteousness of God; it is by faith that we have peace, in our position in Christ Jesus. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and that joy is found in Christ Jesus, received by faith. And this is what pleases the Lord - that which comes from faith.

So let's try our hardest to do what builds up and encourages everyone. But if we think we are in a place where we can judge others, that is what we will do. Yet the scriptures are clear - that place belongs to Jesus Christ alone, and we serve Him. Our faith, and the faith of our brothers and sisters is what matters.

So just like a store with people who do not understand the structuring of authority destroys working relationships, the same happens in the church, in families, anywhere. We do not need more people who think highly of themselves. We need to know Christ; I need to know Christ. Only then can we really know our lowly position, how imperfect we are and unable to judge another, how Jesus Christ is Lord of ALL. People, relationships, these are valuable to us and before God. Faith is what matters to God, not our ability to be "better" than the next man.

Praise God for sending us His Son! And for the freedom that comes from knowing Him, for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. I pray that I might know Him more, and to know more fully what I have written, and that you too may know Him.

A (Busy) Blessed First Thanksgiving

Hannah and I have now been married for six and a half months, and just enjoyed one of many "firsts" together this week: our first thanksgiving together. Since "the two have become one," we also began to figure out how this Thanksgiving would work... Would we spend it with her family? Would we spend it with my familiy? What about Christmas? How are we going to rotate? The list goes on....


What I found to be so great was that we ended up being able to see both sides of the family. Hannah was able to convince my parents and brother to drive out to Deer Lodge, TN to have Thanksgiving lunch with her side of the family. Then after that, we all would head to Jonesborough for Thanksgiving dinner with my side of the family.


Since Deer Lodge is way out there, Dad, David, and I loaded up some guns to shoot once we got there. Once we had filled up our bellies on turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the other goodies, the men headed outside to shoot paper plates and playing cards. The only problem was that as soon as we stepped outside, the temperature dramatically dropped - and within half an hour we even saw a small snow flurry - but that didn't stop us. We shot our .22 Remington lever action, Smith and Wesson .22, my Ruger, and even got to burn some rounds with a Glock 9mm. Once we cleaned up our mess, our hands were frozen, but it was fun letting my brothers in law shoot my Ruger.


Then, we had to rush off to head to Jonesborough to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. The only problem was... we didn't know there was a time difference when we made it to Deer Lodge. Thus, we showed up an hour late to Thanksgiving with my family. But that was okay - we quickly ate and sat down to enjoy some time with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents - the whole lot. It has been a few Thanksgivings since we have been able to make it, so I really enjoyed getting to see everyone.


We hung out and talked and talked, and (regrettably) had to head back home to Knoxville as it got late. But it was such a blessing to be able to make it out to both Deer Lodge and Jonesborough. I was so blessed this Thanksgiving. Sure, we spend many hours driving, but it was worth it to spend that time with family. Wouldn't trade it for anything.


So now that we've enjoyed our first Thanksgiving together, next month will bring the first Christmas together! And I must say, I'm very, very excited.

Why I Love the Old Hymns

I love the old hymns, and have grown especially attached over the last few years to several of them. (Many of them are written below, if you wish to see them) In these particular hymns, the message of the cross, the gospel, is clearly explained. That is, there is only one way to attain righteousness in the sight of God, which is through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

I could try to be a good person, but I cannot keep it together well enough. Even on my best days, I fall short of God's perfection. But praise God that in His mercy and love He provided a way. While the world was still in sin, God sent His only Son Jesus to be born of a virgin, so that Jesus would live the perfect sinless life we cannot. Then Jesus Christ was crucified, and there he took on Himself the sin of the world. There, He paid the price we could not pay; He paid the debt He did not owe.

As He died, He called out "It Is Finished!" His work was complete, and it is still complete. All that God requires for a sinner to be made righteous is to believe in Jesus. All God requires is that a sinner puts his/her faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and God looks upon their sin no more.

That is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that is the beauty of God's love, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us that we might be restored to a relationship with God. Jesus Christ bore our sin and shame so that we could stand before God the Father without either. And it has nothing to do with our accomplishments, but everything to do with what Jesus accomplished for us.

Will you believe? Will you put your faith in Jesus? You don't have to wait until you're a better person - in fact, you can't even become a better person. The only righteousness that God considers in His perfection - and that is given as a free gift by God Himself. Willl you receive that gift by faith? It is all that God requires, to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead so that you would have life and peace. Only faith in the Son of God can make a person right with God, and God has made that completely free. The blood of Jesus that washes away our sins has been made available - the question is, will you believe and receive it?

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"Jesus Paid It All"

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in me thine all in all."

(Chorus)
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy power, and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots, and melt the heart of stone.

(Chorus)

For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim -
I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's Lamb.

(Chorus)

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died, my soul to save," My lips shall still repeat

(Chorus)

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"Nothing But the Blood"

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Chorus)
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other found I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this I see - Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing, this I plea - Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Chorus)

Nothing can for sin atone - Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done - Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Chorus)

This is all my hope and peace - Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness - Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Chorus)

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"Are You Washed in the Blood?"

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are you garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

When the Bridegroom cometh willl your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

(Chorus)

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"Glory to His Name"

Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!

I am so wondrously saved from sin,
Jesus so sweetly abides within,
There at the cross where He took me in;
Glory to His name!

Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,
I am so glad I have entered in,
There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
Glory to His name!

Come to this fountain so rich and sweet;
Cast thy poor soul at the Savior's feet;
Plunge in today and be made complete;
Glory to His name!

The Full Quote From Yesterday

This is taken from the preface of the book God's Pursuit of Man by A. W. Tozer.

"Perhaps a word of warning would not be amiss here: It is that we beware the common habit of putting confidence in books, as such. It takes a determined effort of the mind to break free from the error of making books and teachers ends in themselves.

The worst thing a book can do for a Christian is to leave him with the impression that he has received from it anything really good; the best it can do is to point the way to the Good he is seeking. The function of a good book is to stand like a signpost directing the reader toward the Truth and the Life. That book serves best which early makes itself unnecessary, just as a signpost serves best after it is forgotten, after the traveler has arrived safely at his desired haven. The work of a good book is to incite the reader to moral action, to turn his eyes toward God and urge him forward. Beyond that it cannot go."

I Have Returned With A Thought

My beautiful wife and I have finally moved into our townhome. She has turned it from a somewhat stinky and semi-rundown place into a relaxing place to call home. Next week, we will have internet up and running in our home, which will reconnect us with the world!

It really has been 'detrimental' to be removed from the internet. So much of our lives center around technology in this age, it really has a huge impact when it disappears. But now, we will have contact with the outside world via the internet once again - I am hoping to return to the blogging world somewhat consistently during this school semester.

Which reminds me... I wanted to share something I read this morning in A. W. Tozer's God's Pursuit of Man. It was simply in the preface, but powerful nonetheless. I will summarize...

Tozer warned against treating his book as a revelaion in and of itself - warned against taking what a preacher or a book said and treating it as the end of it. Rather, he described his book as an outflowing of what God had done in him, and hoped it served as a signpost - not a destination. For the signpost only helps point you in the right direction, and when you've arrived, which has greater value? The signpost, or the destination? The signpost points towards the valuable, and the destination is the value.

Having read that, I've pondered it much today - and hope to ponder it more. But for now, I will remember the wisdom in the preface. Preachers, teachers, and books can only do so much in ones life - the real change happens when the individual takes the journey for himself/herself. That is when it becomes real - that is how it has happened in my life. Freedom came when I experienced Jesus for myself. Hearing and reading how Jesus changed others - that was a great signpost. But now I have met Him, and long to know Him more.

As the scriptures say (paraphrased), "We run the race to gain the prize" - and the prize at the finish line is Christ Himself. He is the destination, and there is nothing greater.

More to come later!