Little Faith

Greetings Everyone!

     Today's "thought" addresses the question: "How much faith is necessary?" 
     On two occasions I have heard preachers speak on Jesus' words that, "faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains."  And in each case both of those preachers went on to speak of wanting to exercise a far greater quantity of faith than Jesus said is necessary.  One of the preachers even said, "some people are content with a thimble full of faith, I want a swimming pool full of faith -- faith I can swim in!"

     Yet, I believe both of them missed Jesus point.  For Jesus tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed is far more than anyone will ever need!   With that much, says Jesus, "Nothing will be impossible for you."  In other words, we don't need tons of faith to see impossibilities become possible, we simply need that small amount and we will see miracles happen.  As R.T. France says in his commentary on Jesus words: "It is not the 'amount' of faith which brings the impossible within reach, but the power of God, which is available to even the 'smallest faith.' " 

     That's what today's thought is about: "Little Faith."   It comes to us from a book entitled, "Day by Day with the English Puritans" by Randall J. Pederson.  This particular entry was written by John Rogers, a Puritan pastor from Essex, England, back in the 1620's.  I trust you will find it helpful and encouraging. Enjoy.

Little Faith

"If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain,

'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20b

     "Little faith is true faith, as well as great faith.  A little man is just as much a man as a large man; a little water is just as truly water as the ocean seas. The disciples had true faith, yet very weak faith, weak in knowledge. Though they believed that Jesus was the Messiah come to save the world, yet they did not know how.  They were ignorant of His death, for when He told them of His coming sufferings, it is said that they did not understand what He was saying (Luke 18:31-34). Peter took Jesus aside and counseled Him not to go to Jerusalem to die (Matthew 16:22). They were ignorant also of His resurrection also, for when Mary told them of it, they did not believe her (Luke 24:11).  And of His ascension, when He spoke of going away, they understood it not, neither did they know where He was going, or the way to get there (John 14:1-31).  Their knowledge was very weak to be ignorant of such important things...

     But weak faith may prove strong in time. The most learned clerk was once in school studying his grammar book. The greatest giant was once in swaddling clothes. The tallest oak was at one time a twig. And faith grows from a grain of mustard seed to produce a tall tree.  As from a child to a man, so corn grows from a weak blade, to a stalk, to an ear with ripe corn therein. The disciples who were so weak before, afterwards, when the Holy Spirit was sent among them, were exceedingly strong and feared not in the face of tyrants."

     It was not unusual for Puritan pastors to affirm the words of Jesus that even little faith (faith as small as a mustard seed) was sufficient faith.   Thomas Watson, also a Puritan pastor, once said: "Though your faith is weak, do not be discouraged -- a weak faith may receive a strong Christ."   And Richard Sibbes, yet another Puritan pastor, once said: "A spark of fire is fire, as well as the whole element. Therefore we must look to grace in the spark as well as in the flame. All do not have the same strong faith, though they have the same precious faith (2 Pet. 1:1), whereby they lay hold of, and put on, the perfect righteousness of Christ. A weak hand may receive a rich jewel.  A few grapes will show that the plant is a vine, and not a thorn.  It is one thing to be deficient in grace, and another thing to lack grace altogether.”

     So, we are, as Peter says, to, "make every effort to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control...." (II Peter 1:5-9).  We are called to exercise and add to our faith. Yet, we must also remember that a mustard seed sized degree of faith is more than sufficient to "move mountains" and make "nothing impossible for (us)."   No one needs a swimming pool sized degree of faith!  Who needs more than a faith that is able to do all things?!

     In fact, if Jesus rebuked the disciples for not being able to cast out evil spirits, "because they had so little faith," and then went on to say "faith the size of a mustard seed" was enough to do anything that needed to be done, one must question how much the disciples could have had?  Maybe the tiniest speck of a mustard seed that had been ground to powder?  I suppose it really doesn't matter. Little faith in the infinite God is enough! The aim, after all, is not to focus on our faith, but the immutable, great, loving, and all-powerful object of our faith.  For faith grows as we look away from it, and seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.  The greater we understand Him to be, the greater our faith will become -- and that without even needing to focus on faith.

Living in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff

Sanctification

Greetings All!

     Not too long ago I was speaking with a group of college-age Christians when I brought up the topic of sanctification. There was dead silence.  “What’s sanctification?” one boy asked.  “It’s being set apart for God, or as belonging to God,” I said. “It means growing in holiness.”   Since they still looked a bit confused and didn’t totally understand the term holiness, I said: “You know, like growing to be more godly or coming to reject sin more and more. Seeking to do what Christ wants and resisting the things of the world.” 

     Yet, try as I might to explain it, it was a topic they found hard to grasp.  And these weren’t unbelievers or non-churched people, they were churched people, one young man being a pastor’s kid.  So, I figured that if they struggled with the concept of sanctification, maybe others do as well.  And if so, to help remedy that lack of understanding, I offer these quotes on sanctification from well-known Christians.  I trust they will help!  Enjoy!

     "There are three things which the true Christian desires in respect to sin: Justification, that it may not condemn; Sanctification, that it may not rein; and Glorification, that it may cease to be."       Richard Cecil

     "I asked her what was so scary about unmerited free grace? She replied something like this: If I was saved by my good works – then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through.  I would be like a taxpayer with rights. I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by sheer grace – at God's infinite cost – then there's nothing he cannot ask of me."    Tim Keller

     "Associate with sanctified persons. They may by their counsel, prayers, and holy example, be a means to make you holy."    Thomas Watson

     "The Christian life requires hard work. Our sanctification is a process wherein we are co-workers with God. We have the promise of God's assistance in our labor, but His divine help does not annul our responsibility to work (Phil. 2:12-13).”    R. C. Sproul

     "Some Christians overlook the blessing of sanctification, and yet to a thoroughly renewed heart, this is one of the sweetest gifts of the covenant. If we could be saved from wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners, we should not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness.”     Charles Spurgeon

     “Is my wife more like Christ because she is married to me? Or is she like Christ in spite of me? Has she shrunk from His likeness because of me? Do I sanctify her or hold her back? Is she a better woman because she is married to me?"    R. Kent Hughes

     "The one marvelous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you."... Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy; it is drawing from Jesus the holiness that was manifested in Him, and He manifests it in me."  Oswald Chambers

     "The sanctified body is one whose hands are clean. The stain of dishonesty is not on them, the withering blight of ill-gotten gain has not blistered them, the mark of violence is not found upon them. They have been separated from every occupation that could displease God or injure a fellow-man."    A. B. Simpson

     "Those who have been justified are now being sanctified; those who have no experience of present sanctification have no reason to suppose they have been justified."   F.F. Bruce

     One of God’s primary purposes in the life of everyone He saves is to restore His sin-damaged and sin-fractured image within us.

     This is one of the three primary aspects of “salvation” which includes: 1^st) JUSTIFICATION or being “saved” from the wrath of God against our sin, and brought into a pardoned, reconciled, or right standing with God, by grace, through atonement and faith in Christ or His blood (Rom. 3:21-26).  2^nd) SANCTIFICATION or being “saved” from the power and personality-distorting effects of sin in two ways: In an immediate way at the time of our conversion (definitive sanctification), and then in a gradual way for the remainder of our lives (progressive life-long sanctification) where God conforms us more and more into the likeness of Jesus, who is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His being" (Heb. 1:3).  And 3^rd) GLORIFICATION or being “saved” from the indwelling presence of sin within us all together at the time of our death and/or resurrection.

     So, "salvation" is to be saved from sin’s penalty (justification) and power (sanctification) and presence (glorification). It's one of the reasons you can't really speak about salvation from a biblical perspective without speaking of sin!  It also explains what Richard Cecil means in the first quote, and why F.F. Bruce can say what he says in the last quote. "God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Him"  (Eph. 1:4) and "predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).  That was His eternal purpose for us, and it always involves sanctification!

In the Bonds of the Gospel, Pastor Jeff 

Puritans

Greetings All!

     This week's "thoughts" come to you from a selection of different Puritans. Yes, Puritans!  I know many are prejudiced against the Puritans from the start (often by exposure to exaggerated and untrue propaganda) but I would ask you (if you are such a person) to let them speak for themselves and not read them through the filter of another person's opinion of them.  Ryken's Book "Worldly Saints" is a wonderful corrective to many of the common myths.
Overall (with a few minor exceptions) they were a very gospel-centered and grace-oriented group of people. Yet you would only know that if you took the time to read the things they actually wrote themselves, instead of things others have written about them (often without ever having taken the time to do what I just suggested)!  After all, wisdom and fairness would say we should never formulate an opinion of someone until we get to know and interact with them personally.
     So, with that said, here are some "Puritan" thoughts! In terms of a time frame, the vast majority lived between the years 1600 - 1690.   Enjoy.

     "The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves... dreams of her in the night, has her in his eye and apprehensions when he awakes, muses on her at he sits at table, and walks with her when she travels... She lies in his bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forces all to confess that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength." 

Thomas Hooker

     "There is no relationship more near, more entire, more needful, more kindly, more delightful, more comfortable, more constant, more continual, than the relationship of a man and his wife, the main root, source, and origin of all other relationships." 

Thomas Gataker

     "Creatures, like pictures, are most beautiful from a distance.  But it is not so with Christ. The nearer the soul approaches Him, and the longer it lives in the enjoyment of Him, still the sweeter and more desirable He becomes... He is bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, a garment to the naked, and healing to the wounded. Whatever a soul can desire is found in Him."

John Flavel

     "What is the Gospel itself but a merciful moderation, in which Christ's obedience is esteemed ours, and our sins laid upon Him, wherein God, from being a judge, becomes our Father, pardoning our sins and accepting our obedience, though feeble and blemished."

Richard Sibbes

     "Men would sooner believe that the Gospel is from heaven, if they saw more of its heavenly effects in the hearts and lives of those who profess it."

Richard Baxter

     "One word of seasonable, prudent advice, given by a minister to persons in need, may be of more use than many sermons."

Richard Baxter

     "It is the same impossibility for a thing to be created out of nothing, as to be created by nothing." 

William Law

     "He only that stills the stormy seas, can quiet the distressed and tempestuous soul."

John Flavel

     "A man may easier see without eyes, or speak without a tongue, than truly mortify one sin without the Spirit."

John Owen

     "Humility is a strange flower -- it grows best in winter weather and under storms of affliction."

Samuel Rutherford

     "There are two aspects to love; the one is to give, the other is to forgive." 

John Boys

     "In marriage a husband must choose his love, and then he must love his choice." 

Henry Smith

     "God commands nothing but what is beneficial...  To obey God is not so much our duty as our privilege." 

Thomas Watson

     "If you neglect instructing your children in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No. If you will not teach them to pray, he will teach them to curse, swear, and lie.  If ground remain uncultivated, weeds will spring up on it."

John Flavel

     "Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer."

John Bunyan

     "All married persons must above all things, love, respect and cherish grace in one another."

Thomas Taylor

     In the Bonds of Christian Affection, Pastor Jeff

Glorifying God

Greetings All,

     Today's 'thoughts' come to you from Thomas Watson (1620-1686), and are found in a recent devotional book containing various selections from his writings. The book is entitled "Glorifying God - A Year Long Collection of Classic Devotional Writings by Thomas Watson."  It was complied and adapted by Patti M. Hummel.
     Watson was an English Puritan who was widely read in days past, and both inspired and mentored (through his many books) the great Charles Spurgeon.  In fact, what Spurgeon says of one of his books could summarize most every one he wrote: "This is a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching experience, and practical wisdom."  Today's selections have to do with glorifying God by being cheerful and delighting in Him.  Enjoy. 

"Serve the Lord with gladness."  (Psalm 100:2)

     "It brings glory to God when the world sees a Christian who is cheerful in the worst times; who, with the nightingale, can sing in the dark of night as well as the light of day.  The people of God have many reasons to be cheerful. They are justified and adopted, and this creates inward peace, and makes music in their hearts, whatever outer storms may be buffeting them. If we consider what Christ has done for us by His blood, and wrought in us by His Spirit, it is a reason for great cheerfulness, and this cheerfulness glorifies God.

     It reflects upon a master when the servant is always drooping and sad. It speaks of his life being hard because his master does not give him what is fitting. When God's people hang their heads, it looks as if they do not serve a good master, or have fallen from their choice to follow Him, which reflects dishonor upon God.

     As the gross sins of those who claim to be believers bring scandal on the gospel, so do the uncheerful lives of the godly.  Our service to God does not glorify Him unless we do so with gladness. A Christians cheerful looks glorify God.  Our Christian faith does not take away our joy, it refines it.  It does not break our violin, but tunes it and makes the music produced by it even sweeter."  

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him..."  (I Peter 1:8)

"God is a delicious good. That which is the chief good must ravish the soul with pleasure. There must be in it a rapturous delight and quintessence of joy. There is certain sweetness about God's person which delights, even ravishes, the soul. God's love drops such infinite sweetness into the soul that is unspeakable and full of glory.

     When we delight in God even though we see Him only by faith, what will our joy be when we see Him face to face? If the saints found so much delight in God while they are suffering, oh what joy and delight will they have when they are being crowned!

     God is a superlative good. He is better than anything you can compare with Him. He is better than health, riches, and honor. Other things maintain life, He gives life. Who would weigh anything on a scale opposite the Deity? Who would weigh a feather against a mountain of gold? God excels all things more infinitely than the sun outshines the light of a candle.

     God is an eternal good. He is the Ancient of Days, yet never decays nor grows old (Daniel 7:9). The joy He gives is eternal, the crown does not fade way. The glorified soul shall forever comfort itself in God, feasting on His love, and sunning itself in the light of His countenance. God is the chief good, and the enjoyment of God is the highest contentment any soul is able to know."

     The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, along with its answer, are well-known to many. Question: "What is the chief end of man?  Answer: "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

     Yet John Piper is well-known for changing two words in that answer and suggesting it should instead be: "To glorify God by enjoying Him forever."  In fact Piper goes on to suggest: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Who could disagree? It fits perfectly with Watson's thoughts.

     We glorify God most fully when we show the onlooking world that God fully satisfies our soul. And in keeping with that, what better visible expression is there of that satisfaction of soul than a cheerfulness that radiates from our countenance?

     Of course, we are not to fake smiles, or pretend to be cheerful when we are not -- for that would dishonor God as well.  Likewise, Watson and Piper are not suggesting we will never have down days where we must work through sorrow or disappointment. But I believe they are suggesting we should not get stuck there.

     In fact, when we find ourselves there, our aim should be to seek His face with all our hearts, reflect on all He has done for us, bask in His comforting presence, call to mind all His infinite perfections, and feast on the Gospel truth of His incomprehensible and irrevocable love for us in Jesus. We are to let the remembrance of His great grace toward us warm our hearts, stir our souls, and dispel the gloom that can overtake us when we focus on our circumstances, instead of our merciful and wise Father in heaven who loves us and grows us through them.

Blessings on your day, Pastor Jeff

Obeying

Greetings All, This week's "thought" comes to you from a man named Thomas Watson, from his book "The Lord's Prayer." It has to do with Jesus instruction on praying that God's "will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Watson was born the year the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod, lived until 1686. He was one of the most loved of Puritan pastors, and was "highly esteemed as the most readable." After England outlawed all pastors not sanctioned by the Church of England (the notorious Great Ejection" of 1662 where many godly men lost all they had) he took to preaching in barns, kitchens, work sheds and in the woods. Reading his book "A Body of Divinity" is a life-changing experience, and "All Things for Good" (originally called "A Divine Cordial") or "The Doctrine of Repentance" are equally good. I trust you will find his words here (written to believers and not everyone in general) an inspiration. Enjoy. "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 "The great design of God in his Word is to make us doers of his will. Doing the will of God is evidence of our sincerity and love for Christ. Failure to do God's will is foolish, because in denying God's will, we do the devil's will. It is dangerous to avoid God's will, for then he will have (exert) his will upon us. If we do not obey his will that is commanded, we shall obey it in being chastized. Doing God's will is for our benefit and our own self-interest. It is as if a king commanded a subject to dig in a gold mine, but [instead of giving all he found to the king, the king allowed him to keep] all the gold he was able to dig. What God wills is not so much our duty as our privilege: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God' (Jeremiah 7:23) - 'I will give you my angels as your guard, myself as your portion, my Spirit to sanctify you, my love to comfort you, and my mercy to save you.' To do God's will is to our honour, and his commands do not burden us but adorn us. To be employed in doing God's will is the highest mark of honour that a mortal creature is capable of. Doing the will of God makes us like Christ: 'I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me' (John 6:38). By doing God's will on earth we are akin to Christ and are of the royal blood of heaven. Doing God's will on earth brings peace in life and in death. In keeping his precepts there is great reward (Psa. 19:11). Walking closely with God in obedience gives a secret joy in the soul. If anything will make our pillow easy at death, it will be that we have endeavoured to do God's will on earth. Did you ever hear anyone cry out on their death-bed - 'I have done God's will too much'? No! If we are not doers of God's will, we shall be looked upon as despisers of his will. To disobey is to slight and scorn him. Doing God's will is both your comfort and your crown." Too often in our day the need for a life of obedience is overlooked or side-stepped. In some cases it is even labeled as"legalism" (forgetting that what makes something a "legalism" is the added suggestion that by doing the prescribed thing we are somehow meriting favor with God, or more favor with God, or worse yet, securing or "adding" to our justification -- as if anything we do could purchase for us more of God's love for us and acceptance of us than what Christ already secured for us through His life, death and resurrection). To pray that "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is essentially to pray that we as His grace-adopted children would come to be obedient followers of Christ, would stop resisting His will for us (as we so often do), and seek to live a life of joyful and grace-spawned submission -- a submission that can also be accompanied by tearful repentance when we stop being so stubborn and finally surrender! Maybe we all need pray it daily: "Father... Thy will be done on earth... starting with more obedience in me." Standing With You in the Need of Yet More Grace, Pastor Jeff