For November’s blogpost, I guest posted over at Reformed Margins. Be sure to check out their other work if you haven’t already. I originally planned for this post to be the third in a series on wrestling with hell and God’s judgment. If you’re interested in reading more, check out part 1 and part 2.

Here’s an excerpt from the post. Hope it can be an encouragement!

What does God think of human worth? What does he feel when he looks at the humans of New York who don’t know Christ? Does he only see criminals who have broken the law and deserve death and destruction? Or does he also see the complexity of human life–the suffering and difficulty–and the preciousness of each individual, even in judgment?

The turmoil and upheaval of this past year has reminded me of how often we are guilty, individually and as a society, of treating others as worthless. We are guilty of judging according to stereotypes and of ignoring injustice when it does not affect us personally. We are guilty of failing to listen to other people’s stories and take their pain seriously.

At times, I struggle with God’s judgment because I fear it shows the same disregard for human worth which is so prevalent in our human failures. I fear that God is like a teacher who punishes a student for failing to meet a high and inflexible standard, without understanding the student’s background or valuing the student himself.  I fear that it is the humanist, with his emphasis on human goodness, who is able to bring compassion to the downtrodden and struggling, while the Christian, with his emphasis on sin and judgment, is ultimately insensitive and unkind. How can I answer these questions and fears when they come into my mind?

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.(John 20:30-31 ESV)

I’ve learned a lot about genuine faith from reading the Gospel of John these past few months (for devotionals and for teaching Sunday School). I learned about Jesus’ identity, his Father, and his mission of salvation, about how outward religiosity can hide stubborn unbelief (the Jewish leaders) and false belief (the crowds), and more. But out of all the takeaways from my time in John, what stood out to me most were the scattered stories of genuine belief I found throughout the book.

In his prologue, John foreshadows for his readers what Jesus’ ministry will look like:

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13 ESV)

In chapters 1-12 (which cover Jesus’ three years of ministry up until his final week) that’s exactly what we see. Jesus comes to Israel. He does miracles; he pleads for them to recognize and believe in him, but they reject him over and over again. But in the midst of widespread unbelief, John slips in stories of what it looks like to really encounter Jesus. In chapter 3 we find Nicodemus, a top religious leader who comes to Jesus by night looking for answers.  In chapter 4, we read of an adulterous Samaritan woman receiving Jesus as her living water. In chapter 9, we see Jesus heal a blind man and in chapter 10, watch him raise Lazarus from the dead, to the joy of Mary and Martha.

At first, I didn’t quite know what to make of these stories. On the one hand, I was always happy to find a positive response to Jesus in a book mostly filled with depressing rejection. On the other hand, these weren’t conversions as I normally thought of them; Jesus had not yet died on the cross, so they couldn’t have known the full Gospel that we know today. What exactly did these characters know about Jesus? How could they know enough to be Christians after a short conversation or encounter? John’s sparse details left open plenty of other questions for my curiosity: what happens to Nicodemus between chapter 3 and when he pops up again later in the narrative? Did the Samaritan woman and the blind man persevere in their faith after Jesus leaves? I didn’t doubt that these characters truly believed and remained in Jesus, but still, John’s lack of elaboration left me wanting to know how it all worked.

But if everything John writes is so that we would believe, then what is he trying to teach us from these stories? Here’s what I think: the essence of the Gospel is a personal encounter with Jesus.

In these stories, we get to know Jesus and the beauty of his character. We see his stern wisdom as he humbles the great religious teacher; his heart of grace as he crosses cultural and social boundaries for a despised woman and a forgotten man; and the interplay of his  power, compassion, and sovereignty when he raises Lazarus. We see him meet broken people just like us in their greatest need: Nicodemus, in his empty religion; the Samaritan woman, in her loneliness; the blind man, in his poverty and isolation; and Mary and Martha, in the grief of a lost loved one. We see him restore each of their sin, suffering, and sadness and watch their joyful reactions in real time. Each character responds in his or her own unique way: Nicodemus swallows his pride and the fear of his peers to defend Jesus (chapter 7) and anoint his dead body (chapter 19). The Samaritan woman evangelizes and brings revival to her oft-maligned people. The blind man courageously defies the Pharisees even though it means excommunication from the synagogue. And Mary responds in lavish worship by pouring out expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet.

This, John says, is what genuine belief is. It is when we see the character of Jesus as he meets us in our deepest need, and we respond in worship. John doesn’t tell us every detail about these characters. He doesn’t need to. When you experience Jesus in such a personal way, John says, you never forget. You never walk away. You can’t. If you need more information about him, you go out and get it. If hard times come, you persevere and cling to him. Even though we may not know everything about these characters, we know this for certain: they saw Jesus for who he really was.

Before reading the book of John, I had been in a spiritual dry season. One big reason, I realized, was that despite my ‘Gospel-centered-ness’, I had allowed the Gospel to become general instead of personal. I had begun to think of it as a 4-point outline for random evangelism, a way to judge whether someone was a ‘solid’ Christian or not, a truth to offer as advice, a theory that needed to be theologically precise, and a right answer that made your sermon or your worship set legitimate, but somewhere along the way, it had ceased to be personal. The Gospel was something I was supposed to be amazed at and love at all times and in all situations, but not something I was amazed at because it met my deepest need. Even though I was thinking, talking, and singing about the Gospel, I had allowed it to become divorced from the story of Scripture and from my own life.

As I read the stories of John, it was odd; I felt more connected to these personal encounters than I did when I thought about Jesus dying for my sins. I felt like they showed me the beauty of Christ and really connected to my struggles, while the cross felt like a tired cliche. But when I thought about it, I realized that wasn’t right at all. These stories aren’t more personal than the Gospel; they are parables about the Gospel. Everything I loved about these stories is exemplified times infinity at the cross. I loved watching the beauty of Jesus character as he sought out the outcast and sinner–the cross displays that love fully.  I loved watching the responses as each person saw Jesus meet their greatest need. At the cross, Jesus met my greatest need–my sinful standing before a wrathful God.

This past Easter, I had the privilege to share on John 21 about Jesus’ restoration of Peter. After wrapping up his wonderful Gospel with his thesis (the passage I started this post with), John cannot help but give us one more story–one more chance to see the wonderful love of Christ. Peter, burdened by the guilt of denying Jesus, decides to go back to his old life as a fisherman. When he returns after a long night of failed fishing, Jesus is standing at the shore. He performs the same miracle that he did when he first called Peter–a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11). In doing so, he sends this powerful message to Peter: It was never about your strength; you’ve always been a fisher of men by my grace alone. You were then, at the start, and you are now, even in your failure. Peter, I still want you as my follower. I still love you. Come follow me.

I was thankful that Jesus is not just this personal with Peter, or with Nicodemus, the Samaritan Woman, the blind man, Mary and Martha, and the other disciples. He has sought me out personally. At the cross, he has revealed his character in the most personal of ways. And at the cross, he has personally met and healed my every longing need. To him be the glory!

And, as an added bonus, for the first time in quite a few months, I wrote a song! I hope you enjoy.

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I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15 ESV)

Hello faithful blog followers! Although it may seem like it, the blog is not dead. There’s a lot of stuff I want to write, which I hopefully will write. After the craziness of the quarter, spending winter break as a hermit writing actually sounds quite appealing. So stay tuned.

Anyway, if you’re bored and have nothing to do, take a look at this very lengthy paper I wrote for finals. Somehow, in a literary theory class, I ended up getting assigned to basically exposit the Bible and ended up learning a ton about two passages which were always really difficult for me to understand–Isaiah 6:1-13 and Matthew 13:10-17. Here was the prompt: Taking Isaiah 6:8-13 and Matthew 13:10-17 as your interpretive templates, discuss the trial and execution of Jesus in that gospel: how is the story of Jesus’ passion (“suffering” or “undergoing”) a parable of faith in Jesus’ sense of “speaking in parables”?

Enjoy!

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I had the privilege to speak again this past Friday on 1 Timothy 3:8-13 on the topic of deacons. It was cool,because I picked my passage in Matthew 6 and was assigned this passage, but both dealt with the importance of integrity and character in our faith–something God has really been teaching me this year. I know its long, but if you’re serving in any capacity this coming year, I think this would be a helpful message for you. To him be the glory!

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Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives–I’m convinced b the argument that this is referring to women deacon– likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. Forthose who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 3:8-13, ESV)

Introduction

When I read Paul’s letters, I’ve found that it’s helpful for my understanding to ask the question: How does this passage fit into the rest of this book? Paul writes with a specific purpose for a specific occasion. So as we begin to consider our passage on deacons today, let’s ask the question. How does Paul’s discussion of leadership fit into his overall purpose for writing 1 Timothy? The primary problem, which prompted Paul to write 1 Timothy, was the presence of false teachers in Timothy’s church in Ephesus. We see a large part of 1 Timothy dedicated to dealing with these false teachers within the Church. He warns Timothy about them all throughout the letter.

We don’t know a ton about the specific details of these false teachers. If you read chapter 1, you learn that they have a wrong understanding of the law. In chapter 4, you see that their teaching somehow involved a legalistic kind of asceticism. Other than that, though, we don’t know exactly what kind of message these false teachers were spreading. One thing is clear, however, Paul’s main issue with these false teachers was their character. They wanted all the benefits of being leaders, without doing the hard work of having the character of a leader.

I’ve entitled my message today, True Leadership. I want to approach this passage today by showing you the picture of true leadership Paul describes here in chapter 3 and contrasting it with the leadership provided by the false teachers. My hope is that we’ll be able to apply these lessons in whatever type of leadership we’re in. Today, I have four points or principles that a true leader exhibits and which false teachers fail to exhibit. So let’s get started.

1.      True Leaders are Christ-like Servants

Have you ever wondered: Why are the church offices so random? Why did Paul choose overseers and deacons, in particular, to be the positions of leadership? Well, it turns out that, even though we don’t normally use the words overseer or deacon in our normal vocabulary, these offices aren’t random. Both overseer and deacon each follow the example of leadership that Christ himself provided for us when he walked this earth.

Overseers follow the example of Christ by shepherding over the congregation, just as Christ shepherds over his people. In 1 Peter 2:24-25, Peter tells us that Christ is the ultimate leader, the ultimate Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep, and Overseer, who watches over his flock. Later in the letter, when Peter tells the human shepherds and overseers how to lead, he tells them to follow the example of the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-3). The false teachers, on the other hand, are the exact opposite of Shepherds. They don’t love the sheep; rather they love themselves. In Acts 20:23, Paul warns the overseers at the church in Ephesus about these false teachers. He says, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock”

Overseers follow the example of Christ in leading like Christ. Deacons follow the example of Christ by serving the congregation, just as Christ serves his people. The word “diakanoi” in the Greek means servant– someone who supplies the needs of others. We find that deacons, too, find their example in Christ. Turn with me over to Luke 22:24-27.

“A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:24-27, ESV)

What word does Jesus use when he says “I am among you as the one who serves”—He uses the word diakonwn: one who serves. What is a deacon?  The Bible really doesn’t tell us too much about what specifically a deacon should do. But one thing is clear, a deacon is to serve like Jesus served. Jesus served in very practical ways. Washing the feet of the disciples. Healing the sick and providing for the needy. And so, deacons are to serve to supply the needs of the church in whatever way is necessary.

So the first thing we realize about leadership within the church is that it’s modeled after Christ. Christian leaders, whether your job is more in leadership or more in service, are to be selfless, humble, loving, and sacrificial just as Christ was. Let’s turn back to our passage 1 Timothy 3:8 and we’ll get back into the text.

–In my message, at this point, I clarified why I thought “gunaikas” in vs. 11 is probably better translated “women” referring to women deacons. But i’ll leave that part out–

So far, we’ve learned that the positions of overseer and deacon both call for someone who will be a Christ-like servant. Now, my question is: if we’re this kind of leadership, what kind of person is qualified for this role. And how do we find him or her? This brings me to my second point:

2.      True Leaders show Godly Character

The main qualification for church leadership is not what you can do; it’s your inward character.  That’s what Paul is looking to test here in giving these qualifications. Originally, I was going to focus in on each quality individually, but I decided not to since I think most of us have at least a general understanding of what these characteristics mean. The question I want to ask is this: If Paul’s goal is to find men of godly character why does Paul choose these attributes in particular?

I think the reason why Paul chooses these attributes, in particular, can be found in verse 10: “Let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.” Now, imagine we’re in Timothy’s shoes and we’re trying to fill this position of overseer or deacon. Paul just gives us one requirement: you’re looking for is someone with character. The problem we run into is you can’t see someone’s character. I think Paul gives these requirements of deacons—and of elders in the previous chapters—because it provides tangible ways to learn about someone’s character from the way they act.

So if we were Timothy trying to figure out who could be a deacon. We could ask: is this person dignified? The word in the Greek means “honorable and reputable”; it also carries the sense of a seriousness. This quality functions like the phrase “above reproach” for overseers. It’s a broad term which the following qualities will flesh out. But if we were looking for a leader that would be a good starting point: Is this person respectable? Does this person have a good reputation? Does he have a sense of seriousness for his faith, or is everything fun and games for him?

1)      How you speak reveals a lot about your character. Being a deacon means you’re going to be involved with the affairs of people in the church, so if you’re not trustworthy in your speech you’re going to cause a lot of problems. So Paul says to consider: is this person double tongued? For the ladies, is this lady a slanderer?

2)      Is this person addicted to much wine? Or, as Paul says for the ladies, is she sober minded? If someone is addicted to much wine, it tells us something about his character. He lacks self-control. He doesn’t think clearly. She’s not sober-minded with a singular focus on advancing the kingdom of God.

3)      Is this person greedy for dishonest gain? What is his or her relationship to money? Is this a lady who is using her riches to glorify herself through her outward appearance (1 Timothy 2:9)? Is he someone who is content or is he always striving for more and more? (1 Tim 6:6-7). Does he put his hope in the uncertainty of riches or does he put his hope in God and use his money generously to do good works (1 Tim 6:17-18)?

4)      We’ll come back to vs. 9 in a separate point because I think this is the most important character trait. Look down with me to verses 12. Here Paul says test the faithfulness of a man’s character by looking at his testimony at home. Is he faithful to his wife and to his kids? Does he demonstrate love, patience, kindness as a father and a husband?  And for the ladies, at the end of verse 11: is she faithful in all things? Is she faithful in her service at church, and to her family?

Let me give you guys a few points of application here. First, your actions show something about your character. Paul says, “when you’re looking for men of character, look for men who live in a way which shows they have character”. On the flip side, Paul uses some of these qualities to reveal the ungodly character of the false teachers. He calls them out mainly for two qualities: for their speech and for their love of money. Paul says, because I see these qualities in your life, I know you don’t have genuine character. Look with me over to chapter 6:3-5

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain” then skip down to verse 9: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruins and destruction.”

How was Paul able to tell that these men had rotten character? He simply tested them by our lives. My first point of application is that your actions show something about your character. And how you conduct yourself in public in private, at church and at home, can qualify or disqualify you from leadership. If Paul or Timothy were to test your life to consider you for leadership would your life qualify or disqualify you?

Second, don’t take shortcuts in leadership but rather pursue godly character.  The false teachers here wanted all the benefits of leadership without all the hard work. Character is hard work. It requires you to love the Gospel, to deny yourself and to death sin. Character doesn’t happen overnight. It happens as the result of years and years of following after Christ. Paul tells Timothy, “look at all these guys trying to take shortcuts. Don’t be like them. Do the hard work of cultivating Godly character within yourself.”

Look with me over at 1 Timothy 4:7—“Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Look again to chapter 6:11 where Paul exhorts Timothy, “but as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness”. Don’t take shortcuts like these false teachers. Pursue genuine godly character because that qualifies you for leadership. This brings me to my third point that…

3.      True Leaders are Transformed by the Gospel

In my first point, I talked about how the positions of deacon and overseer call for Christ-like servanthood. In my second point, I talked about how the people who are qualified for these positions are people with godly character. The next question I want to answer: where does this godly character come from? There is one characteristic that I skipped over. Look with me at 3:9: “they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience”. Here, I think we have the key to developing genuine character. Let me try and break this down.

First, he says deacons must hold the mystery of the faith. This isn’t the kind of mystery where we don’t understand something about our faith. The word for “mystery” in the Greek is “musterion”. It’s talking about something that was once hidden but is now revealed. Paul uses this phrase throughout the New Testament to refer to different aspects of the Gospel—God’s plan of salvation which was once hidden, but now is revealed to us. Let me show you a few examples of Paul using this word.

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:4-6)

I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27)

I don’t usually use illustrations, but I think this might help us understand what Paul is trying to communicate when he talks about a mystery. So Jon Ginn, as you may or may not know, really likes movies. In particular, he likes movie with an intricate plotline which builds up to a huge plot twist. Throughout the whole movie, there is a crucial detail of the plot which is hidden and then in the plot twist, it’s revealed. And then your mind-blown, because this plot twist changes the trajectory of the whole movie. And so, if you’re Jon Ginn, what do you do?  You re-watch the whole movie and you catch all the seemingly insignificant details and you realize how everything ties together. And then, if you’re Jon Ginn, what do you do next? You run out and tells everybody about how ingenious the movie is.

I think that captures Paul’s sense of amazement and wonder at the mystery of the Gospel. As a Pharisee, Paul knew the story of Scripture really well. And then, he gets hit by the plot twist of the Gospel and it changes everything he knows about God. So Paul is like Jon Ginn. He thinks about it all the time, and he goes and looks through every detail of the Bible, and he sees how Jesus affects everything. And then he’s so excited that he goes out and tells everyone about this mystery—about the plan of salvation which God has revealed. Paul says here that a deacon must hold this mystery. He must be gripped by the Gospel and let his whole life be consumed by it.

The second part of the qualification is that a deacon should hold this mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Now, what does this mean? The word conscience, like the word “mystery”, is one of those words that you wouldn’t expect to be used very much in the Bible, but which Paul uses actually quite a lot. In 1 Timothy there’s multiple other instances where Paul uses this same word conscience.

Look with me over to 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul writes, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion.” Later, in 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul urges Timothy to fight the good fight: “holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith” And again in chapter 4:1. Paul writes, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

So, the first thing we notice is that having a clear conscience is really important. Paul says that one of the main goals of his entire charge to Timothy is love that comes from a good conscience. As we saw in those verse, Paul points out that the false teacher’s lack of a good conscience is their big problem. Listen to the serious effects of not having a good conscience: they wander away into their vain teaching, they make shipwreck of their faith. He says because their consciences are seared these false teachers depart from the faith.

So what does it mean to hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience? I think Paul means this: holding the faith with good conscience means having a consistency between your belief in the Gospel and the way in which you live your life.

Turn with me over to 2 Corinthians 1:12 and notice how Paul uses this phrase: For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. (2 Corinthians 1:12, ESV)

Basically, what Paul is saying here is that: “When I think about my ministry toward you guys, I have a clear conscience. I wasn’t someone who preached the Gospel to you but didn’t live it out. But I behaved in a way that was consistent with the Gospel I preached. I had integrity, simplicity, and godly sincerity towards you, and so my conscience is clear.” That’s the idea that Paul wants to get across. A true leader’s life should be one marked by love for the Gospel, and a life in which everything is consistent with that love for the Gospel.

That, in the end, was the false teacher’s biggest problem. Beyond their teaching, beyond their love for money, the false teacher’s biggest problem was that they forsook integrity in their character. They became comfortable with not living out the things that they taught. Paul calls them insincere and liars because they’re preaching isn’t honest about who they really are inside

True leaders are transformed by the Gospel. They are amazed and in awe at God’s plan of salvation, and they let it transform every aspect of their lives. So when they look back over their lives and ministry they can say, with confidence, my boast is this, the testimony of my conscience, that I conducted my private life and my public life in integrity, in simplicity, in godly sincerity.

I’m backtracking a little bit but I want to give you guys a practical point of application here: We see that the formation of godly character comes from a sense of amazement and wonder at the mystery of the Gospel. How can we learn to be amazed at the Gospel like Paul was?

Remember how I used the example of the suspense movie? To extend that analogy, I think, as Christians today, one of our problems is that all we do is watch the plot twist over and over again. And we think because we do that, that we understand the plot twist. Well, actually no, an understanding of the plot twist comes from an understanding of the whole story—all the tiny details, all the setup that built the tension and the drama for the plot twist to happen.

I think Paul was amazed at the Gospel because he understood how it changed everything in the whole story of God’s word. If you check all the references where Paul talks about the mystery of the Gospel, he rarely ever talks about the Gospel in the same way. He’s always connecting it to some aspect of Scriptures. I think the more we understand the whole of God’s story the more we will be amazed at the mystery of God’s salvation plan which he has revealed to us.

We live in a Gospel centered age, where there’s books about the Gospel, and songs about the Gospel, and sermons about the Gospel. But Paul talks about how this mystery is revealed through the Holy Spirit by the apostles and the prophets. Where did they write in? The Bible. If you want be amazed by the mystery of God’s plan then there’s no better book to read.  Read the Old Testament and the New Testament and you’ll see like Paul that the Bible is the perfectly woven together story and the Gospel is the plot twist that links it all together.

4.      True Leaders have a Better Reward

Being a true leader is tough. You’re called to follow the example of leadership that Christ set. More than that, you need to have godly character. And more than that, you need to have a love for the Gospel that transforms everything you do. Many of us are in that process of trying to be better leaders but struggling with our weaknesses and our sin. Some of us are thinking about future ministry and the qualifications that the Bible has.

And we wonder to ourselves, is it worth it? And, we won’t tell it to anyone else, we wonder in our hearts if we can be a little like the false teachers. It likely isn’t as blatant as the false teachers, but maybe we start to wonder: I know leadership is supposed to be Christ-like servant hood, but I wonder if I can get away with sneaking in a little glory for myself. Or I know requires us to have a godly character, but maybe if I do things well I won’t have to address this flaw in my character. If I do well in leadership, or I won’t have to address the fact that I’ve become dull in my love for the Gospel, or that I’m not living of a life of complete integrity.

True leadership is hard. And the temptations to compromise a life of integrity are great. But our passage ends with a reminder that, though it may be hard, it’s far more worthwhile. In verse 13, Paul promises two kinds of rewards that a true leader receives:

First, he says those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves. Basically what Paul is saying here is that if you serve faithful as a deacon you will gain the respect of the church and those following you. Oftentimes we think of the praise of man as a bad thing and it certainly is a bad thing if that’s the driving factor which motivates our leadership. But as a leader it’s absolutely vital to have the respect of those under you. Paul says, “if you strive after a life of character and integrity, you won’t have to trick people into following you. People will see your example, and they’ll want to follow you.” I think we all understand this. The people I respect most, I respect not chiefly because of their abilities, but because of their character.

Second, Paul says that those who serve well also gain a great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Objectively, we’re saved by grace and noting we do can add to our salvation or make us any more secure. But subjectively, our confidence in our faith varies. If our conscience is not clear, if we feel guilty and far from God, then we have little confidence in our walks with Christ. But  Paul says here if you’re deacons who has served well can have a great sense confidence in your walk with God. You know that you’re striving to please him by having godly character, you know that you love him for what he’s done in the Gospel, and you’re living out that love for him in your life. If that’s you, you can have a great sense of boldness—not the self-righteous kind—but an inward confidence  that you’re doing God’s will and honoring him, and that God is pleased with you because your life glorifies Christ.

Hey readers! My apologies for the long hiatus and for all the promised but failed series. This isn’t much, but it’s something! I had a chance this past Wednesday to speak for my guys group back home from Matthew 6. Here’s the manuscript. I know it’s long but  if you guys have time, I’d encourage you to read it. Personally it was a very convicting study for me which highlighted the extent of my sinfulness and need for a Savior. I pray it would do likewise for those of you reading.

For my message, I drew this diagram of a tree on the whiteboard to make my points, I don’t have a scanner, so I remade it in paint. Check out my super ghetto chart. Feel free to refer to it before/as you read. I know it looks really lame, but this actually took me a really long time…

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1. Introduction

As I open today, let me ask you guys a question. As Christians, we sometimes use ‘Pharisee’ as a negative term to describe certain types of people. My question is: what does it look like to be a ‘Pharisee’? What kind of characteristics does a Pharisee have?

For me, when we say someone is a Pharisee, I think we usually mean someone 1) who is proud, 2) someone who is confident because of what he knows and what he does, and 3) someone who looks down on other people who aren’t as good as he is.

I think these characteristics describe the Pharisees well. And we ought to be on the lookout for any signs of pride, self-righteousness, or condescension in our actions. But I think, if we stopped there, we would be oversimplifying the Pharisee’s problems. The Pharisee’s problems were deeper and more complex than that. Today, I want to look beyond the outwards signs of a Pharisee into the heart of one. It’s true, the Pharisees created a system of empty religion and self-righteousness. But today, I want to ask: what sort of heart led them to think and act in the ways they did? And I want to challenge you guys to ask yourselves, “Do I have the same sort of heart?”

If you guys have your bibles, could you open with me to Matthew 6:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-6, ESV)

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18, ESV)

1.      The Pharisees Big Problem: Hypocrisy

If you read through the Gospels, Jesus is extremely harsh to the Pharisees. He welcomes sinners, he eats with the prostitutes and tax collectors, and he spends time with the outcasts. But there is something about the Pharisees which stirs up a fierce anger in Jesus. What is it?

Is it what they taught? When we think about the Pharisees, we usually highlight how they had wrong teaching, namely, they believed in a works-based salvation; that you can earn your way to God. Is that why Jesus rebuked them so frequently? I don’t think so. The Pharisees certainly had many holes in their theology, but even Jesus said in Matthew 23:15: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you.”

So if it’s not primarily their theology, then what is the Pharisee’s big problem? We see the answer in our passage in Matthew 6. Look with me at verse 1 and notice with me how Jesus characterizes the Pharisees:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do.

Now, skip with me down to verse 5:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.”

And finally, look with me at verse 16:

““And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites”

Jesus’ main grievance with the Pharisee’s was their hypocrisy. It was not primarily an issue of their bad theology or works-based righteousness—that was a result produced by their hypocrisy. But I think that many of the sinful outward actions performed by the Pharisees, came from the fact that, in their hearts, they were hypocrites—that there was a gaping distance between the religion they professed to believe and love with their mouths, and what they really believed and loved in their hearts.

In case, you’re not convinced. If you read the book of Matthew, Jesus hammers the Pharisee’s for their hypocrisy again and again. Turn with me over to Matthew 15:7-9. Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees, says:

“You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:7-9)

And, if you’re still not convinced, turn with me over to Matthew 23:13 and this should do it. In this passage, Jesus spends a whole chapter blasting the Pharisee’s for their hypocritical religiosity.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child ofhell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:13-15, ESV)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:23-33, ESV)

The Pharisee’s big problem was their hypocrisy. I would argue that from their hypocrisy flowed all their actions of legalism and self-righteousness. But I want us to dig a little deeper. I’m sure that the Pharisees didn’t plan on becoming religious hypocrites. I’m sure they were normal people like you and I, and I’m sure that they were genuinely convinced that they were followers of God. The next question I want to ask is is this: 1) what leads someone to become this kind of hypocrite? 2) If hypocrisy is the root that leads to all this empty religion and self-righteousness, what are the roots of hypocrisy?

This is not an extensive list but today, I want to highlight two “roots”—two sinful heart motivations—which if we’re not careful, will produce in us the same hypocrisy that the Pharisees had.

2.      Root #1: Love of Man’s Praise

The first root of hypocrisy which we see in our passage is the love of man’s praise. Look with me back at our passage in Matthew 6:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.

Again, look down at verse 5:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.

And finally, in verse 16:

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others

Jesus tells us not be like the Pharisees because all their religious acts of righteousness are done to be seen by other people. This desire—to be seen by others—is a central motivation which underlies their hypocrisy.

But let’s think about this for a second. What is it about loving man’s praise leads to hypocrisy? Remember, how I said earlier that Pharisee’s problem wasn’t primarily their teaching. Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you.” The Pharisees knew the Scriptures way better than you and I do. Now, I could be wrong here, but I think that if the Pharisee’s goal was to genuinely please God and to earn salvation through their acts of righteousness, then I think they would have been okay. They would have tried to earn their salvation but would have realized very quickly through their sinfulness and through the Scriptures that it is impossible. And so, when Jesus came, preaching his message of repentance they would have been the first one to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Their self-righteousness, while still wrong and sinful, would have led them to God.

So, I don’t think it was wrong teaching which was their primary problem. Look what Jesus says in John 5:42-45:

“But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me”

Basically what Jesus is saying here is: I know you think you genuinely love God, but I know that you don’t. How do I know? Because I’ve come in my Father’s name and you reject me, and yet you receive other leaders who act, think, and do things just like you guys do. I’ll go a step further and tell you why you don’t believe: because you seek favor from one another and you don’t seek the favor of God.

Then Jesus addresses their teaching. Jesus tells them that the problem is not that they believe in Moses. It’s that even though they appear to believe Moses, they don’t believe in Moses at all. Jesus is saying that the very law that that they’ve put their hope in, is the law that condemns them. This is why the love of Man’s praise is so dangerous: because the Pharisee’s goal was never to genuinely please God at all. Their goal was to use God and religion, as a way to be seen by others. They performed their actions of righteousness so that they might have man’s praise.

Self-righteousness with the genuine intent of pleasing God is wrong but it can be led to the Gospel of grace. But a heart set on pleasing man instead of God will never be led to the Gospel of grace. Why should I care that Jesus died to make me right with God, if all I care about is being made right before other people? Further, a religious person, who loves the praise of man, can only produce hypocrisy. Why? Because he’ll be doing all these actions supposedly for the praise of God when all he cares about is being seen by others.

3.      Root #2: Unbelief

The first root of hypocrisy, seen in our passage, is love of Man’s Praise. The second root of hypocrisy is very closely tied to it—the second root is unbelief. Look with me back at our passage in Matthew 6, starting from verse 1:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Look down again to verse 5:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Jesus says that when you love man’s praise instead of God’s praise. When you’re seeking glory from people instead of from God, then you should just be honest with yourself.  You’re going to reap what you sow. You’re going to get back what you put in. It’s not like you won’t receive a reward but you’ll receive the reward that you’re looking for.

The Pharisees performed their righteousness to be seen by other people. They might have been able to fool everyone else, but they can’t fool God. When you give, or pray, or fast and other people praise you, then you’ve gained the reward that you wanted: the praise of people. But Jesus that’s all you’re ever going to get. God sees everything. He sees past our actions into our hearts. Don’t fool yourselves into thinking God will reward you just because you’re going through the motions.

What is it that God rewards? It’s not our actions, it’s our faith.

If you pay attention to Jesus’ ministry in Matthew, you’ll notice that Jesus rewards people who are the exact opposite of the Pharisees: the Pharisees look outwardly impressive, but have no faith. Jesus rewards those who are outwardly weak—the diseased, the Gentile, those with sinful pasts—but who have great faith in Jesus.

Right after our passage in chapter 6, in chapter 8 Jesus is approached by a Gentile Centurion with a sick servant. Jesus rewards him for his faith.

When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith… “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8:10-13, ESV)

In chapter 9, a woman who has had a bleeding flow for years, comes and touches Jesus’ robe. Jesus rewards her for her faith:

“Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22, ESV)

In chapter 15, Jesus is approached by a Canaanite woman who begs for her daughter to be healed. Remember? Jesus tells her it’s not fit to give bread to the dogs, but she asks for the crumbs from the table. Jesus rewards her for her faith.

Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith!Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.” (Matthew 15:28, ESV)

Now, listen to Hebrews 11:6, here’s the principle I want to draw out.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

Faith is living for a heavenly reward that you hope but you don’t yet have. Unbelief is living for an earthly reward that you can see and have right now. Faith puts its hope in an invisible God and trusts in him. Unbelief puts its hope in visible things—the praise of people, money, career, fame, pleasure. Faith is hard because you have to believe in something you can’t see. Unbelief is easy because you can have an immediate and tangible reward right now. But God does not reward unbelief because unbelief does not seek its reward in God, but in other things.

Unbelief is at the heart of hypocrisy. An unbelieving heart seeks the reward of man’s praise, because it doesn’t have the faith to believe that God’s praise is better. It doesn’t have faith to believe that God exists—I’m not talking about just intellectually, but that he really exists in our world, our lives, our problems—and that he rewards those who seek him with a greater reward than anything we could ever have here. And so, it produces hypocrisy. A religious person, without faith wants all the benefits of religion, but when it comes down to it he really doesn’t believe, and so all he can do is be a hypocrite.

4.      Application:

Reflect on your motivations:

Many of you guys just came back from camp; it’s cool because a lot of my close friends in college are actually guys from camp. A lot of my friends are from CIBC. Sometimes we’ll joke about it, and I’ll tell them that the CI guys were the heathens at camp, and they’ll tell me that the CG guys were the Pharisees.

I’m not sure if your generation of guys is still like this. But that’s been the stereotype of CG, especially CG guys in the past. That we may know our Bibles, we may know our theology, but we’re proud and we look down on other people. Sadly, I think it was true of my generation. I want to let you guys know: take pride seriously. When you guys go to camp, don’t be puffed up because of what you know. Don’t separate yourself from other churches because you think you’re better than them. We have to put that stuff to death.

But I don’t want you guys to just stop with outward actions. If we just change our outward actions—say we stop talking badly about other churches or we stop bragging—but we fail to address the root cause, then, our sin will just appear in different areas. It’s like pulling out a weed but leaving the root. The weed will just grow back, just in a different place or in a different form.

I know for myself I addressed many of the outward signs of being a Pharisees, while inwardly I still had the heart of a Pharisee. So even though I appeared more religious, my religion was still as empty and hypocritical as it was before. If anything, I just became even better in my hypocrisy. I learned that the appearance of humility is able to better win you the praise of man than boastfulness. So, just remember, you don’t have to be outwardly prideful to be a Pharisee. In fact, humanly speaking, you can appear very humble. So I encourage you guys to reflect on your motivations. Ask yourselves:

1. Where in my life am I being hypocritical?
2. How much of my ‘love for God’ is really a desire for man’s praise?
3. How much am I seeking my reward in earthly things? (Litmus test: how is my faith when I’m alone?)

I encourage you guys to check on your motivations often. I think the temptation for hypocrisy is especially strong in groups like ours, where, just like the Pharisees, there’s a lot of knowledge and lot of church involvement. Slowly, we can begin to think that knowing something is the same thing as living it out. Or that coming to church is the same thing as doing it for God. It’s not.

Repent of our sinful hearts

If you read the Gospels, the hardest thing for the Pharisees to do was to recognize their sinfulness. Prostitutes and Tax collectors came to Jesus for forgiveness of sins because they understood they needed him. The Pharisees thought they were righteous, so they never realized how much they needed Jesus.

Personally, this is a big struggle for me. Day to day, it’s hard for me to really feel the weight of my sinfulness and my need for Christ. I feel guilty if I commit a ‘big’ sin, like lust or blowing up at my parents. But for the most part, it’s hard for me to understand that I’m a sinner deserving of hell.

For those of you who might be like me, this passage should hit us like a train about why we desperately need Jesus. Jesus isn’t harshest to the prostitutes or tax-collectors; he’s harshest with religious people who had hypocritical hearts. Jesus hates all sin but he really, really, really hated the sin of the Pharisees. Just think about it. Remember Matthew 23, Jesus devotes an entire chapter to rebuking the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Not only that, he started every other line with the line, “Woe to you Pharisees, hypocrites” Imagine if Jesus spent a whole chapter of scripture rebuking you—“Woe to you,                 , hypocrite…”—That’s crazy. Nothing like that happens in all the rest of the Gospels.

I want you guys to think for a moment why is this? What was it about the Pharisee’s sin that angered Jesus so much? Why was the Pharisee’s sin so bad? While you’re thinking about that, turn with me over to Matthew 22:34. Now, consider the context of this passage. This is in the last week of Jesus’ ministry before he goes to die on the cross. This passage is sandwiched between chapter 21 and 23. In chapter 21, Jesus directly calls out the Pharisees in the parable of the Two Sons and the Tenants in chapter 21 to the point where the text even says, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables they perceived that he was speaking about them” (Matthew 21:45 ESV). And we read chapter 23 earlier, when Jesus gives seven woes to the Pharisees. Let’s read what it says:

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40, ESV)  

This is pretty crazy. Why is Jesus so angry with the Pharisees in chapter 23? Why is the Pharisee’s sin so heinous? I think we find the answer here in chapter 22. In this passage, Pharisee’s come to ask Jesus about the most important commandment in all the Scriptures.  Jesus tells them to love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Now, follow with me here, what sin is the complete opposite of the greatest commandment? Is it lust? Is it anger? Nope. It’s the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus tells them to love the Lord with everything they have. The Pharisee’s love the praise of man and they don’t love God at all. They think they have a reward with God, while all they’re trying to do is gain favor with people.

Now, check this out. Jesus doesn’t have to answer the Pharisee’s question. Just earlier in chapter 21, the Pharisee’s ask Jesus a question and Jesus just asks them a question right back that they can’t answer. This is just my speculation, but I think by answering their question, Jesus is offering them grace. Jesus is trying to show them that they’re not righteous. When the Pharisees heard the greatest commandment, it should have broken them. It should have brought them to sorrow and repentance with tears, because, even though they were supposed to be the teachers of the law, they had broken the greatest commandment. That was their sin.

But remember what it says in vs. 34: “when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.” The Pharisees were so blinded by their hypocrisy that they just want to stump him. They don’t care about Jesus’ answer. Jesus is giving them the words of eternal life, a chance to see their sinfulness and turn to him. And it goes right over their heads, because they’re not even listening. They just want to see if it’s a good answer or not. Do you see why hypocrisy is so evil? It is completely against the greatest commandment. Not only that, It hardens them to the grace of God. And it is that hypocrisy, their unbelief, it is their love for man’s praise, and jealousy against anyone who might take that away that leads them to crucify the Son of God.

Now, we may not completely hypocritical like the Pharisees, but, I don’t care who you are, hypocrisy, unbelief, and love of Man’s praise still exist in our hearts. For many of us, we really struggle with this. It’s scary because I understand the Pharisees. I understand why they acted the way they did, because I see those same motivations in myself. And so, when we see those sins in our hearts, it should break us. We should be humbled, knowing  that on our own we had no power to escape our hypocrisy. We had no answer to Jesus’ question to the Pharisees, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (Matthew 23:33, ESV)”. We should hate those sins when we see them in our hearts, realizing that it was those very sins which led the Pharisees to harden their hearts and crucify Jesus. And, as we realize that we’re not good, that we’re deeply and profoundly sinful, let us we come again in gratitude that Jesus has shown us grace. He died for us. He has not left us blind and hardened to our sinfulness like the Pharisees, but he’s given us eyes to see how much we need him.

Refocus our Righteousness: Live for the Praise of God by faith

My last point is to refocus our righteousness. I’ve focused so far, almost exclusively, on the negative example of the Pharisees. But in our passage, Jesus actually tells us about how he wants us to follow him. And so I’ve entitled my last point.

Look back to our passage, starting in verse 3:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now look down at verse 6:

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

And finally at verse 17:

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Jesus tells us to be the exact opposite of the Pharisee’s. The Pharisee’s practiced their righteousness in public so that their good deeds might be seen by other people. Jesus tells us to practice our righteousness in private so that we might not put our hope in being seen by people, but in being seen by God. The Pharisee’s lived by sight for an earthly reward: the recognition and glory that comes from man. Jesus tells us to live by faith for the heavenly reward that comes from God.

I love the words of Jesus because they’re so simple, yet so profound. I think if we understand what Jesus is saying here and we apply it to our hearts then it will change our lives. Jesus’ teaching here is definitely one of those gems that I’ve taken away and made one of the foundational principles of my life. If I could sum up Jesus’ point here into a principle, it would sum it up like this: Live for the praise of God by faith. Simple right? This has two parts to it. Let me break each of them down quickly.

Live for the praise of God: What I mean here is that we should care about what God thinks about us more than what anybody else thinks about us. We need want to please God more than we want to please anyone else; more than our friends, more than any girl, or any dating relationship, or any spouse, more than our parents, more than our teachers or our bosses. When we care most about what God thinks about pleasing him, then we’re empowered to do anything, even if nobody else sees or cares. Like Jesus said, we can give to the needy, we can pray, we can fast without anybody knowing because we’re doing it for God.

By Faith: This sounds great, but you and I know that this is really hard to do. Why? Because when we do things to be seen by people, we feel an 1) immediate and 2) tangible reward: their approval. When you work at your job you receive an immediate and tangible reward: money But when we do things for God, because we can’t physically see or hear him, sometimes it feels like our good deeds are being wasted, or that there’s no point. That’s why we need to live for the praise of God by faith. Hebrews 11:1 says. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” By faith, we let go of our earthly rewards—of people’s approval,  money, fame, pleasure—to trust in God for a heavenly reward in Christ. By faith, we trust in God’s character, that even though we don’t have any immediate reward, that he will be faithful to fulfill his promises and that the reward of knowing Christ is far better than any sinful pleasure we have here.

—

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2, ESV)

Thanks for reading! I hope it was as encouraging and convicting to you as it was for me as I was preparing.

In part 1, I reviewed Burrough’s argument that discontentment is not merely weakness, but also sin. In this post, I continue reviewing his section on “The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit”. The main point here is that not only is discontentment sinful, but it’s also straight-up dumb. Here’s are a few reasons Burroughs gives why.

Part 2. The Foolishness of Discontentment

1. By murmuring and discontent in your hearts, you come to lose a great deal of time: With discontentment comes the constant worrying, the imagining of feared outcomes, and the sinking feeling in your chest which makes it impossible to work or think. Of this, Burroughs writes:

When you are alone you should spend your time in holy meditation, but you are spending your time in discontented thoughts. You complain you cannot meditate, you cannot think on good things, but if you begin to think of them a little, soon your thoughts are off from them. But if you are discontented with anything, then you can go alone and muse, and roll things up and down in your thoughts to feed a discontented humor. Oh, labor to see this evil effect of murmuring, the losing of your time”

2. It unfits you for duty: Not only do you lose your time, but discontentment robs us of our ability to do our duties humbly with joy; instead we go about our work, distracted, focused on ourselves, and miserable. How many opportunities to serve God at church, school, work, and at home have we squandered because of our discontented attitudes?

3. By it you undo your prayers: Prayer is our act of humbly casting our cares into the mighty hand of  our caring God (1 Pet. 5:6-7). Through prayer, we can have “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” because we understand that God is in control and that he is good (Phil 4:6-7). However, if after we pray, we still cling tightly to our discontentment– our anxiety, depression, and fear, we go contrary to the heart of prayer. Prayer is laying all our fears before God and trusting him to keep us safe; yet, if we still cling to discontentment, then though we might say all the right words, our hearts have not submitted. As James says, “let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (1:7-8)

4. It takes away the present comfort you have, because you have not something you would have: Discontentment always forgets and minimizes present blessings we have. Burroughs writes:

“What a foolish thing is this, that because I have not got what I want, I will not enjoy comfort that I have…God gives you many mercies, but you see others have more mercies than you and therefore you cry for more; but God does not give you what you want and because of that you throw away what you have…is not this folly in your hearts?”

5. By all your discontent you cannot help yourself, you cannot get anything by it: As Jesus says in Matthew 6, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (6:27). Burroughs writes:

“Who by taking care can add one cubit to his stature or make one hair that is white to be black. You may vex and trouble yourselves but you can get nothing by it. Do you think that the Lord will come in mercy a whit the sooner because of the murmuring of your spirits? Oh no, but mercy will be rather deferred the longer for it; though the Lord was about to send mercy before, yet this disorder of your hearts is enough to put him out of his course for mercy.”

6. Discontentment eats out the good and sweetness of a mercy before it comes: Burroughs argues that it is better to not have that object which makes us discontent, rather than to have it in our discontentment. He writes, “If God gives the man or woman who is discontented for want of some good thing, that good thing before they are humbled for their discontent, such a man or woman can have no comfort from the mercy,but it will rather be an evil than a good to them” Therefore, he exhorts us to say this to ourselves when we are discontent:

“Lord, if what I so immoderately desire were to come to me before I am humbled for my discontent for want of it, I am certain I could have no comfort from it, but I should rather have it as an affliction to me.”-

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The foolishness of discontentment is that we cling to it because we think it gives us control. It is the old man in us: self-love, self-fear, self-protection. He says, “if we don’t look out for ourselves, who will? if I don’t worry, who will make sure everything is okay?” And so, we trust in ourselves instead of trusting God in hopes that by our efforts we might find peace. We know, logically and by experience, that this leads only to constant instability and sadness. Yet, with our small faith, it is so hard not to do. Oh, that we might die to our old selves and realize that we are children of God. May we fight the temptation to think that by giving our cares and anxieties over to God, there will be no one to care for our needs.  He alone can provide for our needs. Therefore, let us strive more and more to do as Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord will all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him  and he will make your paths straight.”

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part 1: the Evil of Discontentment

part 2: the Foolishness of Discontentment

I’m going to start out of order and start reviewing the section I just finished reading, entitled “The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit“. In it, Burroughs explains that discontentment is not just an inconvenience or a sign of weakness (as if we should be pitied as victims), but foolishness, unbelief, and rebellion against God. What a thought!

Part 1: The Evil of Discontent

Burroughs argues  that discontent should not be seen as something natural and neutral to be tolerated, but a sign of great evil and corruption in our hearts– “A murmuring heart is a very sinful heart”. Why? Here are two of the many reasons that Burroughs provides (At first I thought I could summarize all of them, but he gives 12 x_x)

• God accounts a murmuring heart as rebellion— “Discontent is contrary to the worship that is in contendedness. That is, worshipping God, crouching to God, and falling before him, even as a dog” When we are discontent, we reject what God has given us in his wisdom– the blessings meant to bring joy, and the trials designed to challenge and grow us. We fail to realize that we are nothing, even worse than nothing because of our sin. Instead, of bowing before God in humility, we rebel in our hearts. Burroughs gives this challenge:

“Will you be a rebel against God? When you feel your heart discontended and murmuring against the dispensation that God has given you, you should check it thus: Oh , you wretched heart!… Charge your heart with this sin of rebellion.””

May we answer:

“I never thought I was rebel against God before. I thought that I had many infirmities, but now I see the Scripture speaks of sin in a different way that men do, the Scripture makes men though only murmurers to be rebels against God.””

• It is exceedingly below a Christian: Through the Gospel, we have been brought into relationship with God through Christ. When we are discontent, however, we insult and walk away from those relationships. Through the gospel, God is our Father. We are children of the King! yet will we dissatisfied with his riches, and disquieted for ever little thing that happens? It is “as if a King’s son were to cry out that he is undone for losing a toy.” Christ is our Spouse. We are the Bride of Christ, yet will we treat him as if he’s not enough? Not only that, but we are members of the body of Christ, and co-heirs with him. More than that, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We have the power of God in us, giving us strength, and ensuring we will persevere to the end. And yet will we still complain at our puny trials? As the hymn says:

“Think what Spirit dwells within thee, Think what Father’s smiles are thine, think that Jesus died to win thee, Child of heaven, canst thou repine?”

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Thus, when we find ourselves unhappy and dissatisfied, we should not look first to our afflictions and circumstances as if they are the cause, but rather examine our hearts for sinful discontentment and repent of it — “be troubled by the murmuring of your heart for it is the greatest trouble”

Discontentment is a grievous sin indeed. Why? When we are discontent, we bring dishonor to the Gospel. We shift the terms from God’s to our own. We shift the greatest problem from our sin and the damnation we deserve, to whatever small affliction we’re facing. And we shift our salvation from the sin-bearing Savior, to what ever comfort we ‘re currently lacking. More than that, we dishonor the character of God– instead of trusting that the God who did not spare his own Son will give us all things, we shun his providence, his ways, his decisions. We refuse to yield control of our lives to him and find rest.

Discontent is one of the foremost ‘respectable’ sins in my life. In my discontent, I constantly feel sorry for myself, am fearful for the future, complain, drag my feet through my work, and half-heartedly serve God and others. For me, it’s easy to go through weeks, months, whole seasons in my Christian life, with this kind of unhappy self-focused perspective. But perhaps the greatest evil and deception is that in this self-focused mindset, I don’t feel like a sinner; I feel like a victim, like I should be getting more blessing from God, and more attention, love, and respect from people. In my pride, I sometimes even feel that I don’t need the forgiveness of the Gospel or scoff that it can restore my joy. After all, I’m trying my best and haven’t done any great sin; the cause for my unhappiness and fear must not be sin, but something outside of me– circumstances, bad relationships, uncertainty for the future. Yet, as Burrough’s reminds me, I am a sinner and my discontentment, itself, is evidence at my great need for the Gospel!

For my few readers, you may have noticed I haven’t been writing much on here. This isn’t completely because of laziness (although, laziness certainly plays a large part!). I’ve been rethinking how I should use this blog in a way that’s helpful for myself, which can also bless others. For now, I’ll probably scale back in terms how much I write my own thoughts. Why? I’ve touched on it before in previous posts, but I have a bad habit of writing about insights, lessons, or theological truths before I’ve worked them out practically in my own life. For me, musing and thinking has always come easily; but bold faith-filled living often feels so hard I wonder if I’ll ever be able to. So, in short, even if I could write clever or profound things  here– and I don’t– what I really need to do is work them out in my own life and treasure them in my heart, otherwise there’s not much use for myself or my readers to be writing.

…But! I do want to continue writing here for my own heart and to bless the readers who follow my writing. So I’ve decided on a new series! Yes, I know, I always say I’ll write series…and I never have, but hear me out. My very-hastily-decided idea, at least, is to write about some of the things I’m reading. My main goal is for my own retainment. I’m a poor reader. Often times, success in reading for me is, well, just being able to sit down and read. Unfortunately, oftentimes I’ll find myself reading something profound or practical, but I won’t take much time to digest it, because I’m just concerned with finishing the book.

The first book I want to review– The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs– is one such book. I could tell when I started reading it that this was going to be an important  book for my soul– discontentment is sadly is often the state of my heart. But because it’s slightly dense and has older language I’ve just been plowing through. From the start, Burroughs rapid-fires on all cylinders about the utter stupidity of discontentment, its unfitness for the Christian, and how, by God’s grace, we might find peace and joy in this life in Christ. It’s definitely a book I want to remember and rehearse often to myself. After all,  what good is it if I serve God and others in the ministry, or in my future occupation and relationships if I don’t have contentment? Yet, how easy is it for us as Christians to serve God, and others in the ministry, in our work and in our relationships, full of discontentment, all the while looking respectable and pious?

So, hopefully this will help me take time to take the insights of this book and crystalize them in my own mind and heart. And, this way, my readers here can be blessed too by books that they might not have time to read. Let it be known, in terms of follow-up posts to intro-posts for a series, I have a perfect 100% track record of failure. So, keep me accountable, get on my case, bother me, so that I write. May this be a help to my own soul and to yours, for the glory of God and for our good. Amen!

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“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6)

“Salvation is not from anything we do, but by faith in what Jesus has already done”

By faith. Sometimes those two words call great fear into my heart. Faith, believing and resting in the work of Christ, should be a ceasing from labor and an entry into blessed rest. But for me, as someone who struggles with doubt, dullness, and depression– often all three at once– faith can feel like the hardest work of all.

Is there rest for the doubting Christian, who strives earnestly for a rock-solid faith but finds it elusive? One who tries his best, but after giving all can only cry “I believe, help my unbelief” and “”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Mk 9:24, Jn 6:68). What does it mean for him when Christ makes the invitation to: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30)

Here is a brief thought from a passage that has comforted me as I’ve wrestled and struggled these past few months. It comes from God’s words in Isaiah 46, when he entreats the Israelites to lay down the idols they’ve been trusting for life and strength, and to return to him. He says:

“Bel bows down. Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnants of the house of Jacob, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb, even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear. I will carry and I will save.” (vs.1-4)

The thought is this: the Gospel does not tell us, “God sent his Son to forgive your sins and grant salvation, but you must believe (as if faith were a kind of work). Trust in this love, cherish this love, walk always in it and when you do, it shall be yours and you will have salvation. No, Israel’s frail idols could not grant this new life of rest and peace that Jesus offers in Matthew 11, nor can we attain it by the strength of our own faith. But rather, the Gospel tell us this, “If you were to bear your own faith it would weigh you down like a heavy burden on a weary beast. Faith is both given and sustained by God. And the only reason it survives is this– he has borne you from before your birth, he has carried you from the womb, and he will see you through, even until the end.”

Oh, what a comforting thought this is for the doubter, who at times feels his faith is too frail to make it through the day, sometimes even through the hour. Praise be to God that it is not his burden to bear, this heavy load of faith, but the Lord’s. Surely he can carry it and ensure that his saints cherish, trust, and grow in the Savior always. As Jesus promises, “I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (Jn 10:28-29). And as the great apostle echoes, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ” (Phil 1.6). And in this knowledge comes the rest of true faith– that same rest Jesus promises in Matthew 11– that strange paradox that we are not saved by the strength of our faith but by the unshakeable love of God; but because of this love, we can finally have faith– rest, trust, and peace– in him. When doubts come, when despair rises up, and when dullness obscures the face of God, I can still confidently say, “Though sorrows are many and though all around my soul gives way, I am safe. Not by my strength, nor by the merits of my belief, but because I am held by my Father in the love of Christ.  This Great God, though I cannot now see him or praise him as I ought, he will bring me all the way home.”

I confess I write much better than I live. And during the dark nights of soul, I cannot preach as boldly or as confidently to myself as I do here. But slowly I’m learning by God’s grace those great truths that John espouses in his 1st epistle: that “whenever our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” and “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn 3:19, 4:18). “We love because he first loved us”, not because of our ability to trust him, but purely by his grace– “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;and so we are” (1 Jn 3:1, 4:19)

I have shared my greatest fear: that my faith will fail. Because of his promises, however, I know he will not let me go. So, in closing, I will share my great hope: Paul’s declaration that, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24). O, that I would be faithful even til the end! By the grace of God and through the power of his keeping love, may it be so.

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“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 2:24-25)

One of my favorite songs of the year! It’s catchy and the lyrics are particularly relevant here. The chorus goes, “O this God, is our God, even til the end. Standing strong over us time and time again, even til the end” Beautiful. Amen, Matt Redman!