Just As We Are

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."
~Romans 5:10 (ESV)

"Your grace has found me just as I am."
~Delirious?, Majesty

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The Lord's grace is amazing: Saving sinners just as they are, yet not allowing them to stay as they are. What freedom there is in the commands of the Lord! What a worse mess we would be had it not been for the Lord's grace that, rather than restricting us from how we can live, shows us how to live in freedom.

The transition was one directly from to life, from darkness to light, through The Way, Jesus. This is what is meant by the Lord saving us as we were--as His enemies changed to be clothed in Christ's own righteousness.

It is critical to understand the meaning of being accepted as we are. The Father is often noted as granting us "unconditional acceptance." Biblical truth, however, is that the Father accepts us only by the of His Son. Only clothed in the righteousnesses of Christ are we accepted into His kingdom. This terminology of unconditional acceptance should be carefully translated to refer to the Lord bringing a sinner directly from to life, not being accepted without Christ, and not as an excuse to remain stagnant in the growth process.

And the very fact that we were saved when we were His enemies is the very motivation to not remain stagnant. This is because when the amazing truth of the Gospel is truly, truly affecting a person, they cannot help but to run hard after Him. No longer are we to dwell in the state we were in when God saved us. Rather, we are to contemplate it and be amazed daily at this glorious mystery.

"For Your has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You
The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You"
-Sovereign Grace Music, Jesus, Thank You

"Father, what words are adequate to thank You? None! We were once Your enemies, yet one Day we will feast with You--You!--at Your table! Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Hasten the Day when we shall see Your face. And may many more come to know this love that are still in darkness as we once were. Thank You for Your grace, Father, amen."

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Challenge and Application Questions

• How are you doing evangelistically?
• Do you look at those who are lost as creatures whom God died to seek and save?
• Do you remind yourself daily of God's initiative upon your soul?

The Four Woes of Luke 6 - Woe 3: Against Foolish Satisfaction

"'Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.'"

~Luke 6:25b (ESV)

<Read Part 2 | Read Part 4>

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At first or lasting impression of this verse might be to think it is a sin to laugh or perhaps a sin to be "overly happy." I've had thoughts like this. But once again, the Greek will serve us well!

Let's look at some Greek definitions:

Woe to you who...

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Laugh
(G.1070) To laugh (as a sign of satisfaction); laugh.

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now, for you shall

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Mourn
(G.3396) pěnthěo; from 3997; to grieve (the feeling or act):-mourn, (be-)wail.

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and

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Weep
(G.2799) klaiō; To wail out loud (as opposed to silently); bewail; weep.
    →Bewail: To express sorrow for; grief expressed; lament (Webster's 1828 Dictionary).

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Those who laugh in earthly satisfaction shall soon be sorrowed. We see one clear example of this later in chapter twelve where Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool. This character told his soul in effect, "Soul you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax! Partake in the fruits of your labors and place your dependence in them. Eat, drink, be merry." God said to him, "Fool!" because his faith and dependence were cast on the which is perishable and has no eternal value. Becuase of this, his very soul was demanded of him that very day.

But Jesus' warning is to us as well: "So is the one lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21). Rich toward God? I thought that was an interesting word to use: toward. Back to the Greek (note the asterisks (*)):

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Toward
(G.1519) ěis; - to or into (indicating the place reached or entered); of place, time, or purpose. Abundantly. against, *among, as, at, [back-]ward, before, *by, *concerning, +continual +far more exceeding, for [intent, purpose], fore, +forth...

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We are to be rich concerning God, rich by God, rich among God. This is what is missing in the rich fool. Earthly goods are to be used and worked for but our master must be God and our satisfaction in Him alone. We are to store up our riches among the eternal. "No one can serve two masters.... You cannot serve both God and money" (Matt 6:24).

So let us not give laughs of satisfaction because we have goods laid up on earth; they will not last the fire of Judgement Day. They won't! This is not my idea, it is God's promise that everyone's work will be tested and revealed by fire (I Corinthians 3:13).

"God, thank you for Your merciful warnings to the proud and sinful like me. May we not be left weeping now or when our days are through. Rather, let us rejoice today that we have You! That we have all that we need. That we have all that we need in You. Amen."

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Challenge and Application Questions

• Are there currently any false hopes that you are aware of in your own heart?
• How have you represented the rich fool?
• How had God rescued you from false hope?
• Do you have an eternal perspective on treasures (earthly and Heavenly)?

The Four Woes of Luke 6 - Woe 2: Against Filling Up with the World

"'Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.'"

~Luke 6:25a (ESV)

<Read Part 1 | Read Part 3>

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John Piper often talks of how humans are far too easily satisfied. A young kid would enthusiastically take satisfaction in making mud pies because he can't imagine what is meant by holiday at the beach.

The word "full" here in the Greek is "ěmpiplēmi" or "ěmplēthō" (^[1]) which means to fill in or up and to satisfy. One base Greek word implies "filling to the max." It is not talking about for food per se, but an overall filling of one's self that "makes no room" for anything else because one's satisfaction is in the here and now.

But Jesus mercifully warns us of this. If we fill ourselves with earthly treasures and think that the height of satisfaction, that is the height of ignorance for soon we shall realize, "If this is all there is to life, this is pathetic! I have no more dreams!" Soon the entertainment, fame, drugs, friends, possessions, relationships, immorality, money, or anything else we try to fill ourselves with other than Christ Himself--it will fail us and prove as an ugly deception. Worldliness and lust are ugly deceptions that do nothing but harden our hearts toward God, hinder the pursuit of God, and dull our sensitivity to the Lord's leading. Settle not for them! They lie to us! They do not deliver as advertised!

Our end is to hunger without satisfaction if we settle for less than God. The word "hunger" in the Greek, "pěinaō," means to famish--to crave and be hungered ^[2]. So what we think now to be our satisfaction other than God will leave us dying in starvation.

May we remind ourselves that Christ died to save us from this deceit! What a blessed relief! The Holy Spirit has opened our once darkened eyes to see what really matters and live life in the FREEDOM of the only satisfaction, Jesus Christ. Amen!

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Challenge and Application Questions

• What things less than God most beg to be known as and claim to be satisfaction in your life?
• Do you remind yourself of the Gospel and that Christ died to save you from that deceit when you are tempted to seek satisfaction outside of God?
• In light of the Gospel, have the deceitful things of the world dimmed and been exposed for what they really are?
• How are you applying the Gospel to your Christian life of discernment?

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1. Strong's concordance (KJV), Greek Dictionary 1705. (Back to reading)
2. Strong's concordance (KJV), Greek Dictionary 3983. (Back to reading)

Only Jesus

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."
~Psalm 73:25 (ESV)

"Lord, take me deeper into the glories of Calvary."
-Sovereign Grace Music, The Glories of Calvary

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What else have I?
Whom is there in the Heavens but You?
You are my First Love
My only love
My only desire
How I need You now!

What love is this that You have shown!
What grace beyond sweetness to the soul!
Jesus, You are my heart's cry
Jesus, You are Who I am desperate for
I am settled when I know Your nearness
And unsettled when I fail to savor You

"With every breath, Lord, how I long
To sing and sing of Jesus Who died for me!"
Show me Your glory, Lord!
I want to go deeper!
Closer and closer to You

I cannot do without more of You
Without more and more of the Bread
That satisfies my hunger, yet increases it
That quenches my thirst yet proves it unquenchable
With all satisfaction, I adore Thee, My Lord!

To You I sing a song of glory
Glory to the One to Whom all glory is due
Glory to the Only One deserving of WORSHIP!
I ascribe all glory to You...

The Great Initiator of lost souls
The only qualified Savior
The God of Grace and mercy
The Creator with sovereign arm
The One to be feared with mighty arm of strength
The limitless God of love
The Bread of Life
The Living Water
The only One for me
The only Joy

The only satisfaction

Hunger that Satisfies

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied."
~Luke 6:21a (ESV)

"The more I drink of Your love, the more I thirst for You."
-Telecast

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Those who are hungry for the Lord's presence, the Lord's Word, the Lord's ways, the Lord--they shall be satisfied. The believer who counts that which is hungered for in Godliness as indispensable and as far greater than and more important even than food for the stomach recognizes their need and shall be satisfied. Indeed, the very definition of Godliness is one who genuinely hungers for God and delights in His Savior at all times and in all things. There are many other aspects of Godliness, but the desire and hunger cannot be absent. Godly hunger cannot be separated from Godliness. Godly hunger is inclusive in the word "Godliness" and without it the word "Godliness" becomes meaningless and void and a mere scrambling of letters.

So do not separate Godliness and Godly hunger, for until we die and on to eternity, we need more of God and will always hunger for Him. However, the intent of this verse, as when Jesus said, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again" (John 4:14) and "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35), those who partake of Him will never go thirsty and will never go hungry. We will never go hungry when we long for Him and seek after Him by the means of grace He has given. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8). This is a promise straight from the mouth of God! We will be in an eternally satisfying state of hungering for more of the supremacy and presence of Christ, OUR SAVIOR.

So, neither separate Godliness from Godly hunger and so deceive yourself into thinking you can be Godly and not hunger, and do not separate satisfaction from Christ. Only in Him will the Godly longing of the redeemed be satisfied.

For we know the more we know You God, the more we shall hunger for You.

Satisfied in God: A Burning Heart

"They said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'"
~Luke 24:32 (ESV)

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Introduction

    This post was inspired by a song from Loui Giglio's Passion Conferences website. You can hear it by clicking here and then clicking the play button at the bottom and going to the song, "Bravery."

    Oh the strange satisfaction that Christ brings to a soul! "Strange" meaning a passionate burning that is foreign to this world. The disciples in Luke 24:32 were unaware that they were talking to the Savior face to face. Yet, their hearts burned within them. Do you find satisfaction in Christ? As the Lord opens His Word to you in your quiet times, are you affected that Christ Himself is opening the Scriptures to you? Does this bring you to a place of burning satisfaction?

    This burning is not a mere feeling. This burning is a burning passion of satisfaction, speechlessness, and crying out of our very being for more of God and more of God to be known!

    Christian, be not caught up in chasing what the world from which we have been rescued seeks for satisfaction. Passion is spilled by the second by the world on worthless things! Yes, we once lived for worthlessness too, and still would be were it not for God's great mercy on our pitiful souls! But now, O now my fellow Christ follower, our passion is for our King! Our King!

He is breathtaking.
He is lovely.
He is the only Awesome One.
He is the only worthy One of all creation's praise.

Do you hear me now? Oh how He satisfies like no other!

He is the flame of our everlasting passion.
He is the reason we live.
He is the One Who carries us through this life.
He is the light on our circumstances.
He is the SOURCE of our HOPE!

Does your heart not burn within you?