All Sins Flow From Idolatry
By Barry Rager
Idolatry is dangerous. Often, I feel that we underestimate the effect idolatry has on our lives. However, theologian Martin Luther had some powerful insight on the subject of idolatry:
The Basis of All Sin
Luther wrote that idolatry is not one sin among many but the very basis of every sin. When I read this, I was taken aback, and I greatly questioned the doctrinal validity of this statement. But the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Luther could have been on to something.
What are some examples we can see of this in our lives?
Gossip - When we gossip about someone, the basis of that is an idolatry of our status. By placing our status in the highest regard in our lives, we make decisions based off of holding that as our treasure. Therefore, when we have opportunities to gossip and tear others down, we seize them because we want to elevate ourselves.
Isolation - When we disagree with someone, we have a tendency to isolate ourselves. We will seek to draw back from the individual—even from the community as a whole. Usually, this is because they have challenged a particular idol in our own lives. This could be a religious, philosophical, political, or even interpersonal idol. When it is challenged, we retreat. We isolate ourselves, sometimes so far as to have no one else around us. God created us for community with one another, not isolation. (Genesis 2:18).
While these are only two examples, I would challenge you to think through the sin in your life and examine to see if it flows from idolatry.
A New Treasure
If all sin flows from idolatry at its core, then we need to make sure that we place our affections and desires on something higher: Jesus (Colossians 3:1-3). We need to be people who see Jesus as a treasure.
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells a parable of the hidden treasure, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” If idolatry is a displaced affection of treasure, then the only solution to idolatry is to dwell on the one true treasure: Jesus.
How is idolatry impacting your life? How can you work to ensure Christ as the treasure of your life?
A Prayer For Battling Idolatry
By Amy Rager
Idols come in many shapes and sizes. From the literal gold statue in a shrine in someone's home to the intangible idea of the American dream, idols are everywhere. If we don't create the idol ourselves, we will surely make it into one. We are therefore caught in this constant battle of flesh and Spirit.
In response to the idols in our lives, we look to inspiration from Psalm 16:
O God, keep me from straying.
You are the one who holds me together.
My Lord, I have pledged myself- my life- to you.
I have declared you to be the source of all good.
Abandoning you for the things of the world
would only increase my sorrows.
I will not search for relief outside of you
or entertain thoughts of lesser joys.
I have chosen you, your sustenance.
My resting place is in your hands.
I will trust that your plans for me are pleasant.
Without a doubt, Beauty awaits me.
Thank you for my fellow believers,
they are a gift to me
and a source of joy.
How great you are for comforting me!
For meeting me in the dark times to teach me!
Again I vow to look to you always.
Since you are my foundation,
I will not be shaken.
And so- despite my situation- I am glad.
I feel joy from head to toe.
I stand secure in your love.
For my soul will never be abandoned;
This body and mind will be redeemed.
God, I trust you to guide me down this path.
Your presence will bring me true joy
in this life and forever more.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
You Were Meant to Embrace the Suspense
Read, consider, or experience this holiday season with the same suspense of the disciples. Don't ruin the joyous result of finding out the unexpected plot twist. Experience this Saturday with the same suspense that the disciples did.
This blog was written by Kasey Clark. Kasey is a pastoral intern at New Circle Church.
On this Saturday, you are meant to embrace the suspense. What I mean by that is you are supposed to feel the tension of the death of Jesus, not knowing for sure that He would rise again. I see too often on social media "It's Friday, but Sunday is Coming!" Did the disciples know for sure that Jesus would rise again? Do you think they knew for sure? Do you even think it was a thought in their mind? Do you think Luke knew before his epic battle with Darth Vader that he was indeed fighting his father? Do you think Rocky beforehand knew that Apollo was going to be killed by the Russian, Ivan Drago? And did Rocky know whether he was going to be able to break the incredible strength of Drago or not? Do you think Dom Cobb knew before he began the inception process whether he would be able to escape limbo? In a good mystery novel, do you read the final chapter before reading the rest of the book? No. You allow the drama of the story to percolate your experience within the book.
All too often we ruin the joy of unraveling an unexpected plot twist.
Don't allow your knowledge of the final chapter to cloud the in between. Don't limit this to Jesus' resurrection story, though. Let this be how you read the drama of Scripture.
Read the death of Abel, the son of Eve who made pleasing sacrifices to God, and feel the suspense that he will not be replaced. Read the devastating effects of sin to humanity and feel the suspense that God will destroy the entire race of humanity, saving none, before God looked on Noah with favor. Read and feel the despair that Abraham must have felt as he raised his knife, ready to plunge it into his son. He did not know that a ram would soon be the substitute, so put yourself in his shoes and don't know the end result either. Embrace the suspense.
Read the story of Israel in slavery to Egypt, not knowing if the Pharaoh would ever let them go. I know you know the end of the story, but while reading it, forget the end and embrace the frustration of the Israelites against Moses. Embrace the unsurety of Moses, approaching the Red Sea and not knowing how you are going to pass by it. Read the story of Israel taking over the land of Canaan as though there will be failure against the strength of the inhabitants of the land. Read the story of Israel fighting the Philistines, as though this giant called Goliath would have the last laugh over the people of God. Read and put yourself in the place of Jonah who might have been thinking, "Ok, I was just swallowed by a huge fish. The only way I'm getting out of here is by excretion." Revel in the uncertain.
When coming to the story of the death of Jesus, you were meant to embrace the suspense. This story isn't much different from any of the aforementioned stories. Read, consider, or experience this holiday season with the same suspense of the disciples. Don't ruin the joyous result of finding out the unexpected plot twist. Experience this Saturday with the same suspense that the disciples did. Be in the upper room with the disciples, and feel what they felt: "Did our Messiah really just die?" "I can't believe he died that way." "I can't believe he's gone." "What are we going to do now that he's dead?" "Mary and Martha, will you take care of his body in the morning?"
Embrace the suspense. You were meant to.
Restored Life
This blog was written by Kasey Clark. Kasey is a pastoral assistant at New Circle Church.
While thinking about the resurrection of Christ this holy week, consider all that comes along with Christ's conquering of the grave. In this post, we will specifically take into account something that may not be as common to consider. Let's consider what our "resurrection bodies" will look like in the New Heavens and New Earth.
I played in a 3-vs-3 tournament last weekend and it was a ton of fun. I also played with my 3-year-old niece last night on some gymnastics loops where she jumped onto my chest and clung tightly as I swung around. My body was entirely sore for days after playing 5-6 games at the basketball tournament, and I woke up this morning with aches in my arms after swinging my niece. I could attribute the pain to my lack of working out the past 2 weeks, or I could theologize my pain by blaming my deteriorating health on the fall. Regardless, there is something that we recognize as we engage in physical activity or simply in the passing of time. What we recognize is that our current bodies are subject to wearing out, growing old, sickness, and disease. Our present bodies will not be completely healthy and strong forever.
In the midst of Paul explaining the importance of the resurrection of Christ from the grave, Paul describes that a result of Christ’s resurrection is our own personal resurrection from the grave, save we are found to be in Christ. Paul expounds on this idea by showing how we will have resurrected bodies. He breaks down what our resurrected bodies will be like in four simple ideas. These Ideas can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44:
“What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
Imperishable
A perishable body is a body that will deteriorate to the point of disintegration. An imperishable body, on the other hand, is a body that will not. See how Wayne Grudem describes the imperishable body: “They will be completely healthy and strong forever. Moreover, since the gradual process of aging is part of the process by which our bodies now are subject to ‘corruption,’ it is appropriate to think that our resurrection bodies will have no sign of aging, but will have the characteristics of youthful but mature manhood or womanhood forever… Our resurrection bodies will show the fulfillment of God’s perfect wisdom in creating us as human beings who are the pinnacle of his creation and the appropriate bearers of his likeness and image. In these resurrection bodies, we will clearly see humanity as God intended it to be.”
In Glory
When we are raised, we will be raised as the beautiful human beings that God created originally. Wayne Grudem helps out again: “When this term is contrasted with ‘dishonor,’ as it is here, there is a suggestion of the beauty or the attractiveness of appearance that our bodies will have. Moreover, because the word ‘glory’ is so frequently used in Scripture of the bright shining radiance that surrounds the presence of God himself, this term suggests that there will also be a kind of brightness or radiance surrounding our bodies that will be an appropriate outward evidence of the position of exaltation and rule over all creation that God has given to us.”
In Power
To have a body that does not lose energy will be an extravagant thing. Our bodies are weak compared to the body we will have. Dr. Grudem details: “Our resurrection bodies will not only be free from disease and aging, they will also be given fullness of strength and power — not infinite power like God, of course, and probably not what we would think of as ‘superhuman’ power in the sense possessed by the ‘superheroes’ in modern fictional children’s writing, for example, but nonetheless full and complete human power and strength, the strength that God intended human beings to have in their bodies when he created them.”
A Spiritual Body
In thinking that our resurrection body will be a “spiritual body,” we may be mistaken to think that it will not also be physical. This is not the case, though. Finally, the distinguished professor from Phoenix Seminary, Dr. Wayne Grudem expounds: “In the Pauline epistles, the word ‘spiritual’ seldom means ‘nonphysical’ but rather ‘consistent with the character and activity of the Holy Spirit.’ The RSV translation, ‘ It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body,’ is misleading, and a more clear paraphrase would be, ‘It is sown a natural body subject to the characteristics and desires of this age, and governed by its own sinful will, but it is raised a spiritual body, completely subject to the will of the Holy Spirit and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.’ Such a body is not at all ‘nonphysical,’ but it is a physical body raised to the degree of perfection for which God originally intended it.”
Conclusion
By understanding our current warped, fleshly bodies, we cannot help but to look forward to receiving the bodies that God originally intended all humans to have. A body that does not deteriorate, is truly beautiful, is not worn down by activity, and is completely subject the Spirit of God’s guidance will be truly spectacular. The restoration of the life and bodies that we should have will be a joyful experience. Timothy Keller describes the joy of resurrection in his splendid book The Reason for God like this:
“The biblical view of things is resurrection — not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.”
So take heart and take hope in the face of present trials and difficulties, there is a joy and a glory that will be received upon our resurrection. About this glory, C. S. Lewis wrote:
“They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory.”
This blog was originally posted on "Entrusted by God". A blog that seeks to equip those "living as stewards of the gospel." This post can be found on "Entrusted by God" here: Restored Life on Entrusted by God
Three Keys to Prayer from Gethsemane
This post was written by Pastor Barry Rager. Pastor Barry is the Pastor of Vision and Preaching at New Circle Church.
The Bible is an amazing book. So often, as I prepare for and write sermons, I struggle to limit myself to one primary idea. This week was no exception. Luke's account of Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane is packed full of truth. One of the blessings of this blog is that I can pass on some of the gold I found in prep that didn't support the overall theme of the sermon.
The following is an adaptation of one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons 'Gethsemane.' I hope it speaks to you as much as it did to me.
Jesus prayed a lonely prayer.
Jesus withdrew from his friends a stones throw to seek his Father. Throughout Jesus’ life we see him often engaging in solitary prayer. Spurgeon wrote, “Believer, especially in temptation, be much in solitary prayer. As private prayer is the key to open Heaven, so is it the key to shut the gates of Hell. As it is a shield to prevent, so is it the sword with which to fight against temptation.”
Jesus prayed a Son’s prayer.
Jesus began his prayer by saying, “O My Father.” Mark uses the words “Abba, Father.” When Jesus taught his followers how to pray he encouraged them to come to God as Father. As you pray to God in the face of hardship come to him as a child, as an adopted son or daughter of the King. Again, Spurgeon wrote, “You have no rights as a subject. You have forfeited them by your treason, but nothing can forfeit a child’s right to a father’s protection.”
Jesus prayed a prayer of resignation.
When Jesus was seeking God he prayed, ‘…not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus put aside his own self-preservation and chose obedience to his Father. Last, Spurgeon wrote, “Be perfectly content to leave the result of your prayer in His hands, who knows when to give, and how to give, and what to give, and what to withhold.”
May these words be a blessing and an encouragement to you as you seek God in prayer!
May the LORD bless you and keep you this week,
Pastor Barry
Look Back. Look at the Present. Look Forward.
This post was written by Kasey Clark. Kasey is a pastoral assistant at New Circle Church.
Communion is a compelling call to evangelism. Pastor Barry encourages us, as the body of Christ, to take communion from this stance: “Look back, look at the present, and look forward.” My goal is to help you do that as we consider the significance of Christ’s last Passover meal in the final hours of his life. Let’s commit to accomplishing this by saturating our considerations with Scripture. And finally, let’s work toward this goal by structuring our considerations with the phrasing of Paul, who summed up the Lord’s supper in 1 Corinthians 11:26 like this: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.“
1. “The Lord’s Death” – Look Back
We initially see the story of the Passover take place in Exodus 12:1-32. (If you have never read this account, it would be extremely beneficial to you to take 5 minutes to read it.) The command is given that the people must kill the “Passover lamb”, one which is without spot or blemish (vs.5), and the blood of the lamb must be placed on the doorposts (vs.7). This was because the LORD was going to “pass through the land of Egypt that night.” His mission was to “strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt [He] will execute judgments.” And he did this that all may know that “I am the LORD.” The blood of the lamb is important because God said, “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you.” God goes public with His holiness (or we could say – His “separateness” from the god’s of Egypt) by establishing that judgment is the just consequence of sin, rebellion, and idolatry.
We see that the lamb gave his life so that those within the household did not have to give theirs. The lamb’s blood covered the household from the just judgment of God, designating safety for all inside the covering. The lamb’s blood signaled that those within the family were God’s people. If we take the above considerations and substitute each lowercase “l” in “lamb” with a capital “L”, we begin to see the continuity between the death of the Passover lamb in Egypt and the death of the Passover Lamb on Calvary. Next, let’s explore how the Israelites reacted to this information and how we must respond.
2. “You Proclaim” – Look at the Present
When Moses finishes telling the people of Israel about the institution of the Passover lamb, we see at the end of Exodus 12:27 that the people responded like this, “And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.” When the joy of this good news hit their ears, the result was an overflow of worship at the wisdom of God. The joy of finding out that there was a substitute could not be suppressed, and rather poured over into a humble worship.
This is the joy that Peter wrote about. 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” Later in the same chapter, Peter explains the purpose behind this joy. He says:
“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave Him glory.“
The plan all along was that Christ would be our substitute. And Peter ends chapter one by saying, “This word is the good news that was [proclaimed] to you.” The Lord’s supper is a compelling call to proclaim the gospel both to believers and nonbelievers alike!
3. “Until He Comes” – Looking Forward
Finally, we long for the day when we will eat the Lord’s supper with the Lamb of God. Jesus says in Luke 22:18:
“For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until of the kingdom of God comes.”
We, his bride, yearn for that day. For now, we eat and drink, proclaiming his death and his resurrection. All the while, we soar above the “here and now” in our hearts and crave the “there and then.” We ache to behold the King of Kings face to face and sing these songs with the angels in heaven:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” – Revelation 5:9-10
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:10
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen!” – Revelation 7:12
If these songs do not swell up the inexpressible joy in your heart for Christ, consider that we will wear white in the presence of God because of our Passover Lamb. Our sin will be gone. Our unrighteousness will no longer have a hold on us. Listen to how one of the elders describes why we will be clothed in white in the presence of God:
“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
– Revelation 7:14
When you take communion, do you look back to Christ’s death? Do you look at the present by proclaiming the gospel? And do you look forward to the time when Christ comes back? If not, it’s not too late to change. Paul gives the solution, “You proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
In essence, Paul says this to you, joyfully proclaim the white-washing blood of the slain Lamb until He comes to sup with you and the rest of His bride in the kingdom! How magnificent is this Passover proclamation! Let these considerations not only move you the next time you partake in communion but let them also compel you toward evangelism of those who may not have been cleansed by the white-washing blood of the Lamb.
White Flag
This post was written by Kasey Clark. Kasey is a pastoral assistant at New Circle Church.
“Go in peace.” These consoling words were spoken by Jesus after a sinful woman wept on and washed his feet. How weird was this situation? A woman walked up behind Jesus eating dinner, profusely sobbed onto his feet, then proceeded to mop His feet with her hair. Pastor Barry interprets this action as being “her declaration that she was the lowest of the low.” The woman waved her white flag of surrender, and literally bowed down to worship Jesus. This story of the sinful woman who met Jesus that day is a powerful example to us of how we must lay down our lives in response to Christ’s forgiveness. We must respond to Christ in surrender, humility, and joy. We will be cherishing these responses as we reflect on the beautiful old song, “All to Jesus I Surrender.”
SURRENDER
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Have you surrendered all to Jesus? Have you freely given everything to him? One thing we learn as we read Scripture and experience life is there is a war in our hearts. We are born with hearts that are actively at war with God. We are born as part of the army of darkness, and so we wage war on the light of God at every turn. In our rebellion against the light of God, He actively makes an effort to release us from our rebellion. Like Pastor Barry says, “If you think to yourself, ‘I came to Jesus.’ Jesus says in response, ‘No, I came to you!’” How He does this is by shining the light of the gospel into our hearts. Regarding this, Paul explains,
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed…For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 3:16, 4:6)
When the light of the gospel shines in our hearts and reveals to us the glory of God, the waving of our white flag is the only right response. Wave the white flag today. Give up your war on God today, and turn to a lifestyle of loving and trusting Him as the song compels us. This leads us to consider how we surrender our all to God.
HUMILITY
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
The humility displayed by the sinful-turned-saint woman is breathtaking. This woman acted in pure humility when she took a jar of ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet. Along with this, she wiped down His feet with her hair. Then on top of all that, she kissed His stinky, sweaty feet.
Pastor Barry shows not only how her action would have been seen as the ultimate sign of humility, but also the contrast to how proud Jesus’ host was. The impudence of this Pharisee to invite a well-known Rabbi and a sought-after Prophet who had just recently raised a man from the dead to your home and not wash his feet was rude. He finishes his display of pride by questioning in his heart the actions of the Son of God, which is a slap to the face of God himself. This “religious leader” did not desire to surrender all and humbly bow to his God. He decided to clench tightly to his worldly pleasures and reject Jesus.
What will you do? Will you wave your white flag, humbly bow your knees, forsake all worldly pleasure, and cling to Jesus? If you do, there are innumerable joys that await you at His feet.
JOY
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory to His name!
After the humble surrender of your heart to Christ, His goal is to glorify God by satisfying you. He satisfies you by lighting the wick of your soul with His eternal flame so that you experience a spectacular joy in God. This is the fire that blazed in King David’s heart when he said,
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him.”
(Ps. 34:8)
It was no mistake then that when David turned his back on God to his worldly pleasures, the fire of his heart was faintly flickering. During this dark time, he pleaded with God,
“Return to me the joy of my salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
(Ps. 51:12)
The desire of David’s heart was joy. The aftermath of humbly surrendering your heart to God is joy. The aftermath of this sinful woman’s waving of her white flag is the comforting benediction of peace. The aftermath of your surrendering all to God is the forgiveness of your sins, all-satisfying joy in God, and a peaceful reconciliation with God. Please, do not pridefully shrug at this Jesus. The angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk 2:14) Jesus’ mission was to bring peace to the enemies of God. So don’t shrug. Surrender, humble yourself, and pursue the only fountain of all-satisfying joy there is. It’s not far from you. It’s found in the face of Jesus. Look at His face. There, you will find peace. There, He will whisper in your ear, “Go in peace.”