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Precious Providence

I recently finished John Piper’s newest, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, that unpacks the sovereign care of God for his people in a beautiful and experiential way. This paragraph sums up the book well,

Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.
(pp. 101, 102)

Throughout my life as a Christian, and much more so as a pastor, I have had the sobering privilege of walking with friends and relatives through some very dark and difficult times. In each of these cases the afflicted have found great comfort in knowing that God is not only in control, but that he is good. The truth of God’s sovereignty and love for his people have led many to embrace their difficulties as pathways to know God more fully and experience his grace more deeply. If you don’t have it yet, get Piper’s book now.

As I was reading the book I thought I would recommend a few others I have found helpful over the years.

All Things for Good by Thomas Watson
Mystery of Providence by John Flavel
The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul
The Providence of God by Paul Helm

Core Values: Worship

Last Sunday we took a look at “worship” as the second core value of Redeemer Fellowship. If you missed it you can listen to the sermon here. We spet most of our time unpacking our definition of worship based on Romans 11:36-12:1.

Worship is the exaltation of God through a gospel-motivated sacrifice of ourselves to God.

I wanted to share one more thing with you– a quote from my man Octavius Winslow.

God has a temple outside of heaven. Not all the worship, nor all the worshipers, are confined to that blissful world where he immediately dwells. He has another sanctuary upon earth―other worshipers and other services, where, with whom, and with which, the beams of his presence are as strictly promised and as truly shine as in the general assembly of the church gathered around him in glory. It is not the magnificent structure made with hands, with its splendid ritual and its ponderous ceremonial, flattering to the pride and captivating to the sense of man, but a temple and a temple-service far more beautiful in God’s eye is that of which we speak. “Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all these things has my hand made, and all these things have been, says the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word.” “Thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite one.” This is God’s temple upon earth, this his worshiper, and this his worship. The material structure is nothing, the magnificent service is nothing, the formal worshiper is nothing, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word.” Oh most solemn truth! Oh most precious words! “Lord! engrave them upon my heart by your blessed Spirit. Be my body your temple, my heart your sanctuary, your presence my life, my life your service.”

- Octavius Winslow, The Incense of Prayer

Communion of the Saints

Next Sunday we hit the third core value of Redeemer, “Community.” To get us thinking, consider the words from The Westminster Confession of Faith on “The Communion of the Saints.” This isn’t about the sacraments, but about union with God and each other, and serving one another through the gospel for our spiritual and worldly good.

Of the Communion of the Saints.

I. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as to conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

II. Saints by profession, are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

III. This communion which the saints have with Christ, doth not make them in any wise partakers of the substance of the Godhead, or to be equal with Christ in any respect: either of which to affirm, is impious and blasphemous. Nor doth their communion one with another as saints, take away or infringe the title or property which each man hath in his goods and possessions.

Chapter XXVI, Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)

What is Worship?

This Sunday at Redeemer we’re looking at worship as one of our core values, so yesterday I asked friends on Twitter to share their favorite definition of worship. I’ve only included a few here to show the range and emphases.

Some people focused on the idea of ascribing “worthiness” to God.

AaronOneal: to ascribe worth to
jchrisland: I have two: Putting our minds attention and our hearts affection toward God and declaring the worth of God.
scottslayton: Ascribing to God the glory that is due to his name.
GingerNewingham: Giving honor or “worth-ship” to God by our actions, thoughts, and motives.

This is good because our word “worship” is actually a form of the old english word, “weorthscipe,” or “worth-ship,” which meant to ascribe worth to, or highly esteem. To worship is to see something as supremely worthy. David says in Psalm 29:1-2,

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Others focused on matters of the heart.

timmybrister: A simple (Christian) definition I like is the overflow of the heart satisfied with Jesus.
willadair: To love God more than yourself. //I naturally worship myself, quite harder to worship him.

This too is entirely appropriate, as David said in Psalm 51:16-17,

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

And others emphasized the comprehensive nature of true worship saying,

stephenlutz: Responding to all of who God is in Christ, with all that we are in Christ.
mnathanjaques: Its gota be -knowing how and in what and for who I spend my time in.
A_Refugee: Worship is my response to God, for all that He is, all that He has done, is doing, & will do, with all of my life.

This too is great because God is not interested in a part of our lives, but all of it lived as a sacrifice of worship for him. Like Paul says in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

This Sunday we’re looking at Romans 11:36-21:1 as we unpack the subject of worship and answer why it is a core value at Redeemer Fellowship. I’ll go ahead and lay out the definition I’m offering on Sunday that is based on the passage we’ll work through.

Worship is the exaltation of God through a gospel-motivated sacrifice of ourselves to God. Here we hit the supremacy and worthiness of God, the gospel as motivation, and the comprehensive nature of worship. I’ll unpack it all on Sunday. For those of you joining us, you can prepare for worship by reading Psalm 96.

1000 Words

A year and a half ago my son (then 4) gave me his favorite Matchbox car. It has been sitting on the desk in my office ever since. Occasionally I take it for a spin.