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Giving Your Testimony & Sharing the Gospel (Workbench of Practical Christianity) (King’s Cross)

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The Text: 2 Timothy 2:8-9

INTRODUCTION

I don’t remember a time when I did not love Jesus. One of my earliest memories is being interviewed for membership in an OPC church by a couple of elders when I was four years old. I was baptized and became a communicant member shortly thereafter. I’ve always loved singing worship songs and hymns. Part of how I’ve always known the presence of the Holy Spirit is through the many times I’ve been convicted of sin.

One of the first times I remember sharing the gospel with someone was a neighborhood boy in Alaska who prayed with me and my brother to receive Christ. I was probably nine years old; he was probably around seven. My dad, an OPC minister, often took me around with him knocking on doors or walking through the park to share the gospel. Sometimes we would do a literature table at the local shopping mall. 

Why do I begin here? Because “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:10). This, in part, is my testimony of God’s grace in me, and if you have met Jesus, you have a story to tell as well – you have a story of God’s grace toward you. This is my gospel, my testimony of the gospel of free grace, the gospel of blood-bought forgiveness and freedom and unending goodness, through Jesus. This is also your gospel. It’s the same Jesus, the same grace, but you have a different story of the same grace that has not been in vain. This is why you need to learn to say, “this is my gospel.” This is your testimony. 

WE PROCLAIM JESUS WITH OURSELVES

There are important ways in which the gospel is a public, political announcement to the world about facts that are objectively, historically true, which have an inevitable glorious culmination (e.g. Phil. 2), which would be true if none of us had been born. There are also important ways in which the gospel transforms individuals from the inside out, granting them healing, hope, and new hearts (e.g. 1 Pet. 1:3). There are times and places where either side of that coin may be the appropriate emphasis, but by themselves, the former can lack any personalism or else the latter can veer into over-personalized subjectivism. An overly objective emphasis can tend to discourage evangelism because it seems to be based on getting certain facts and truths right, and you’re worried someone will ask you a question you don’t know the answer to. An overly subjective emphasis can tend to discourage evangelism because it seems to be based on having a “great testimony,” when maybe you were blessed to grow up in a Christian home like me (and Timothy, 2 Tim. 3:15). But a Christian testimony describes how the objective, historical God-man has invaded particular lives and transformed them from darkness to light. 

Jesus saves in such a way as to make His gospel your gospel. And therefore we need to learn to say, “This is my gospel.” It’s striking to notice how often Paul talks about himself in his letters. Sometimes he is defending himself against false accusations (2 Cor. 2:17, 4:2), sometimes he is defending his apostolic authority (Gal. 1), sometimes he talks about his imprisonment (Phil. 1), sometimes he reviews how he came to the Lord (1 Tim. 1), sometimes he names people who have helped him, and other times he names people who have harmed him. This is why Paul sometimes has to protest that he is not preaching himself: “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). 

PAUL’S GOSPEL

Paul refers to the gospel of Jesus several times as “my gospel.” In Romans 2:16, Paul refers to the day of judgment which is coming “according to my gospel.” Later, in Romans 16:26, Paul writes, “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages…” And again in 2 Tim. 2:8-9: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” Something similar is described in a number of other places in Paul’s letters. “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing…” (2 Cor. 4:3). “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thess. 1:4-5). “To this he called you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14). “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you… Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Cor. 15:1, 10). “And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:14-16). 

CONCLUSION: YOUR TESTIMONY

The point is that when God saves, He saves particular people, with particular backgrounds, personalities, gifts, strengths, and so on. He saves you from your sins, and the shape of His grace in your life is on purpose. He has given you a unique and glorious testimony of His grace.

How should you share the gospel? You should share your gospel, your testimony of God’s grace to you. This is not a different gospel than the one Paul preached. Nor is it a different gospel than all the faithful saints have preached down through the ages. It’s still Christ crucified for sinners; it’s still Jesus raised and seated at God’s right hand. But this glorious reality takes a particular shape in particular people. If you’ve never thought about this or shared it, start by writing it down. Take some time in your family or with your roommates to tell your stories. 

As I am fond of telling my homiletics students: you cannot give what you do not have, but the wonderful thing is that you can always give what you do have (cf. Acts 4:6). Have you received mercy? Then share that mercy. Have you received hope? Then talk about that hope. Were you raised in a Christian family? Tell that story of grace. Were you saved out of addictions or abuse? Write down that testimony of grace and look for opportunities to talk about it. Tell someone. Your story of grace is your gospel for the world. With Paul, learn to say, “This is my gospel.” And as we do this, we are sharing our gospel, our testimony, and the only gospel there is.

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Fearing God & Honoring Parents (Workbench of Practical Christianity) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

We live in a land that has no fear of God before their eyes, and right on schedule, neither do we honor our parents. If it is not going well for us in the land, this is one of the main things we must recover: the fifth commandment is the first command with a promise of blessing. The fear of the Lord and true justice go together (Ps. 19:9).  

The Text: “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In this brief case law, based on the Fifth Commandment, God instructs His people to fear Him, and to do so by acts of honor, respect, and reverence for fathers and mothers, the elderly, and all in authority.

FEAR OF THE LORD

The fear of God is obedient to God (Dt. 6:2). Abraham feared the Lord and was obedient to the command to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22:12). The midwives feared God and did not obey the king’s command to kill the baby boys (Ex. 1:17). Obadiah feared the Lord and hid the prophets from Ahab (1 Kgs. 18:3). The fear of God is merciful (Lev. 25:43, Dt. 25:18). The fear of God puts away idols and false worship (Josh. 24:14). The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him (Ps. 33:18), and He hears the prayers and delivers those who fear Him, setting His angel round about him (Ps. 34:4, 7). God’s judgments and wrath teach His fear, but God is also merciful and forgives, so that He may be feared (Ps. 90:11, Ps. 103:11, 13, Ps. 130:4). In all of these ways, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7). Thus, by the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life (Prov. 22:4). The fear of the Lord is strong because it trusts in God’s justice and goodness (Is. 35:4). The fear of God is His covenant gift, so that we and our children will not depart from Him (Jer. 32:40-41). 

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

The Shorter Catechism says that the fifth commandment “requireth the preserving the honor and performing the duties to every one, in their several places and relations, as superior, inferior, or equals” (WSC LXIV). Likewise, the Heidelberg says that the fifth commandment requires, “That I show all honor, love, and fidelity to my father and mother, and to all in authority over me; submit myself with due obedience to their good instruction and correction; and also bear patiently with their weaknesses and shortcomings, since it pleases God to govern us by their hand” (Q. 104). 

Notice that the Bible teaches that we have different kinds of fathers and mothers: magistrates are fathers and mothers (Is. 49:23), the elderly are community fathers and mothers (Lev. 19:32), ministers of the gospel are fathers (1 Cor. 4:15), and then of course heads of households are fathers and mothers, including both biological parents as well as masters and by extension employers (Eph. 6:1, 5ff). 

It is the fear of God that teaches us to honor those in authority, who must also rule in the fear of God (Ex. 18:21, Eph. 6:9), which means obedience to His written word (Dt. 17:19). The fear of God establishes true authority and its limits. 

GENERATIONAL CURSES

In the Second Commandment, idolatry is prohibited with the warning that God is jealous, “visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20:5-6). We know from elsewhere that God does not automatically hold children guilty for the sins of their parents (Ez. 18:20), so this means that the curse of generational sin is simply that children tend to imitate the sins of their parents and become guilty that way. And frequently it happens through generational animosity and resentment. 

This is why our Old Testament ends with the promise of God turning the heart of fathers to children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest He come and strike the earth with a curse (Mal. 4:6). Jesus came to fulfill this prophecy (Lk. 1:17), and the central way He does this is by providing forgiveness for the sins of parents and children. Sins extend for three and four generations, but God’s mercy is available and extends to thousands of generations (Ex. 20:6). 

APPLICATIONS

First, get your heart right toward your parents. This may require you to get your heart right with God first. Turning your heart toward you parents means repenting of all your bitterness and resentment before God and them. Having forgiveness for them is a decision and a promise, not a feeling. If you are still under your parents’ authority, you must obey them cheerfully. 

Second, if things have been particularly rocky, strained, or distant, do everything you can to make it clear that your heart is turned toward them. You are open to a better relationship. And do that first by communicating love and respect for them. Despite major failures or flaws there is almost always something to admire or be grateful for. 

Third, the fear of God teaches us not to fear man, since the fear of man is a snare (Prov. 29:25). This includes fearing your parents. You are to honor them but not fear them, and this means that your honor is to be governed by God’s Word (just like their authority), not by whims, feelings, or unbiblical demands. When a man leaves and marries, a new household is formed, and those responsibilities must be honored as well. Honor is thoughtful and strategic about visits, vacations, time spent together, and tries to anticipate and mitigate challenges. 

Finally, commit yourself to honoring parents and fearing God in word and deed. Sometimes this means covering the sins/nakedness of your fathers, bearing with their weaknesses patiently, remembering their frame (Gen. 9:23, Ps. 103:14). Fear God and reject all mockery and disdain of parents; remember that there is rich gospel blessing in this work. 

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The Nations are Clean (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #16) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

In many ways, this passage is the hinge of the book of Acts. The whole book describes the continuing work of Jesus, and just as He promised, the goal is a mission from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Everything has been pointing to this: all the languages at Pentecost, Stephen’s message that God is not bound to one place, the conversion of the Samaritans, the baptism of the Ethiopian, the conversion of Saul, and now we come to Peter’s vision.

But while Jesus had clearly sent the apostles out to preach the gospel and disciple the nations, it had not yet been made clear that this meant that the Gentile nations could remain Gentile nations without converting to Judaism and still be full members of the household of God. Here, God declares the unclean nations to be clean. This means the nations can come to God. And since Jesus is Lord of the nations, this means that they will come.

The Text: “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always…” (Acts 10:1-20)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke emphasizes the faithful devotion of this Roman soldier, as does the angel who appears to him (Acts 10:1-4). The angel does not give Cornelius the plan, but he does give him instructions for finding out the plan from Simon Peter, which Cornelius then explains to his servants and a devout soldier in his house (Acts 10:5-8).

While they are on their way, Peter is in prayer on the rooftop and sees a vision of a great sheet being let down from heaven to earth, full of all kinds of ceremonially unclean animals (Acts 10:9-12). The Lord spoke to Peter by name, inviting him to “kill and eat,” and when he declined, the voice insisted by saying that what God has made clean, do not call common/unclean – and this happened three times (Acts 10:13-16). Then, while Peter was puzzling over the vision, the men from Cornelius arrived at the house asking for him, and the Spirit ordered Peter to go with them, doubting nothing (Acts 10:17-20).

WITH ALL HIS HOUSE (OBEDIENCE)

Nations are built out of families and households, and the kind of nation you get depends on the kind of households that make it up. Family is the building block of human society. You cannot have virtuous society apart from virtuous families. You cannot have faithful leaders who fear God and hate covetousness and all lies, if you do not have many families led by such men.

Not only was Cornelius a devout man, but he led his whole household in this piety (Acts 10:2, 4, 7). It seems all the more remarkable given the notorious reputation of Roman soldiers for often being brutal, rapacious idolaters. Here was a man who likely risked his job, his reputation, and his fortune in worshiping the God of the Jews. While all is grace, the angel of God specifically notes the obedient devotion of Cornelius in prayers and alms as noticed by God (Acts 10:4). Obedience put Cornelius in the path of God’s plan and blessing.

We are saved by grace, but we are saved for good works that God prepared for us to walk in, and God loves to reward the good works He prepared for us. We earn nothing, but like a faithful Father, God blesses obedience. Honoring father and mother is the first commandment with a blessing (Eph. 6:2-3). In a difficult marriage, a godly woman seeks the attention of God by her gentle and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4). A godly man takes responsibility for his household and is particularly zealous to remain in fellowship with God and one another (Josh. 24:15, Job 1:5). We are not often given the whole plan, but we are given instructions for finding out the plan. Daily obedience in our families puts us in the path of God’s plan and blessing.

WHAT GOD HAS MADE CLEAN

The clean/unclean laws were part of the schoolmaster-law to lead Israel to Christ (Gal. 3:24, 4:2). It taught Israel to pay attention to what they ate, what they touched, who they had fellowship with in order to teach them that sin has infected everything and if it is not cleansed, it is infectious and it will only spread to everything. And you cannot appear before God in that unclean state. But when Christ came, Israel graduated from that schoolmaster and came into maturity, where the real clean and unclean distinctions must now be made not between different kinds of animals or people, but between sin and righteousness (2 Cor. 6:14-18). Sin is what destroys our fellowship, but we have fellowship with God and one another as we are cleansed by the blood of Christ, confessing our sins to God and one another (1 Jn. 1:7-9).

Food and drink are central signs of our fellowship, and everything is sanctified by the Word of God and thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:3-5). So we must not destroy fellowship for the sake of food and drink (Rom. 14:19-21). This can be done through a pharisaical strictness, demanding of others what God does not require. Or this can be done through pharisaical laxness, not requiring of others what God does require. Demanding that others cater to your food fads or preferences and making fellowship difficult is disobedience to this principle: rise and eat. And parents must not let children become little food tyrants or become tyrants themselves. Those with scruples about alcohol may not bind the consciences of others, but in our community, it is far more likely for drinking to become an occasion for harm. Honor God and love your neighbor.

CONCLUSION: LORD OF THE NATIONS

The vision that Peter saw means that the nations are clean. The nations do not have to become Jewish in order to come to God. Russians, Japanese, Somalis, and Americans may come to the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ. The Church is therefore a multinational body from every tribe and tongue, but the nations still bring their own unique treasures into the Kingdom: people still live in tribes and speak different languages (Rev. 7:9, 21:24).

This cuts against fleshly prejudice and fleshly uniformity. And the best way to learn this dance is by building devout households that stay in fellowship and are ready to obey. Love and serve those closest to you first, beginning with the neighbors in your own house, working your way out from there, including your nation. And in this way, all of the nations will come to Christ.

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How the Church Grows (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #15) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

Frequently, part of the difficulty we have in understanding and applying the Bible to our lives is that we do not understand the characters involved. One such character is the Church. The word for “church” can simply refer to a generic human assembly, like the Elks Club or a political party’s convention. But part of the message of the Bible is that God has established an entirely different kind of assembly in this world called the Church, unlike any other human institution. 

The Text: “And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: but their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him…” (Acts 9:23-43).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

After his dramatic conversion, Luke says that Saul was in Damascus for many days preaching Christ as the Son of God and confounding the Jews before escaping out a city wall in a basket (Acts 9:23-25, cf. 2 Cor. 11:32-33). Notice the juxtaposition: radical conversion and confounding the Jews (sounds powerful) versus a narrow escape in a basket (sounds weak). In Galatians 1:18, Paul says that it was three years before he went down to Jerusalem, where they were still afraid of him for his former persecutions, but Barnabas brought him to the apostles and vouched for his conversion (Acts 9:26-27). Saul began preaching with the other apostles boldly before another plot arose, causing the brothers to exit Saul stage left back to his home town of Tarsus (Acts 9:28-30). And despite what might look like another setback, Luke insists that this controversy and movement produced peace in the whole church, being built up, walking in the fear of the Lord, being comforted by the Holy Spirit, and it multiplied (Acts 9:29-31).

Meanwhile, Peter was travelling in some kind of circuit and came through Lydda where he healed a man named Aeneas from an eight year sickness that had kept him bedridden, causing many to turn to the Lord (Acts 9:32-35). While we are tempted to think this was a great power in Peter, he says, “Jesus Christ is healing you” (Acts 9:34). Then in Joppa, a prominent woman named Tabitha/Dorcas was raised from the dead when Peter knelt down and prayed (Acts 9:36-41). And many believed in the Lord and Peter ministered there for many days (Acts 9:42-43). 

ORDINARY LIFE & EXTRAORDINARY POWER

Luke is a careful historian, but he is also summarizing and highlighting key events in order to make particular points. On the one hand, God really did work extraordinary miracles through the Apostles (1 Cor. 12:12). The Bible never assumes that just anyone can speak for God; in fact, anyone who claimed to but was lying was liable to a death penalty in the Old Testament (Dt. 18:20). So the Apostles were given unique authority to prove that they had the right to speak for God and write the New Testament – the signs confirm the Word (Mk. 16:20). At the same time, there was a lot of ordinary life most of the time, including somewhat humbling things like Saul being let down in a basket and fleeing various plots (Acts 9:25, 30). The apostles were not constantly working miracles, otherwise, why didn’t the apostles just call down fire or blindness on the enemies plotting against Saul? The reason is because humans are always tempted to focus on the wrong thing: miracles, signs, wonders, human brilliance. But the central glory, the central miracle is the transformation of ordinary human lives by the gospel. How was the whole church given peace when the same party that put Stephen to death was now plotting against Saul (Acts 9:29)? One big reason was that the one who had overseen that murder was now speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 9:29). The goal is to point to Christ. 

SIGNS OR PHILOSOPHY OR THE CROSS?

Elsewhere Paul says that the preaching of the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). He says that everywhere he went the Jews demanded signs, and the Greeks demanded philosophy, but we preach Christ crucified, which is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Cor. 1:22-23). The problem was not with signs and philosophy per se, the problem was with a resolute refusal to believe combined with those demands. Many who say that they will not believe unless they see a miracle or hear a convincing argument will still not believe even then. Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God. He taught the truth, and He died and rose from the dead. The apostles reasoned from evidence, and on occasion healed the sick and even sometimes raised the dead (Acts 9:22, 40). But the fundamental question is willingness to submit, willingness to believe. If you are not willing, no amount of signs or arguments will convince you. But the Christian Church is the gathering together of those who believe in Christ, who fear the Lord, and have the comfort of the Holy Spirit. 

THE CHURCH LIKE NO OTHER

This is why the Church is no ordinary human institution. It is not based on human action or human wisdom. Christ said that He was establishing His Church on the Rock of Peter’s confession of faith, such that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it, giving keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, to bind and loose on earth as it is in Heaven (Mt. 16:18-19). This is not the Lions Club or a golf club. The Church is called the “Body of Christ,” such that what is done to Christ’s people is reckoned to Christ Himself (1 Cor. 12:12-27, Acts 9:4). The Church is called the “Bride of Christ,” for whom Christ died, to sanctify and cleanse and make completely holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27). The Church is a “holy priesthood,” the temple of the Holy Spirit, elect and precious (1 Pet. 1:5, Eph. 2:20-22). While God has also established families and nations, and we may establish other human institutions, no other assembly has such promises. 

CONCLUSION

The Church grows through the preaching of the cross of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, crucified for sinners, raised from the dead, ascended to the Father, Lord of the Church, and Lord of the Nations. Or else if He isn’t, we really do have better things to do on Sunday mornings. But this is the message that has transformed the world: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified for our sins, He was buried, and on the third day, He rose from the dead. This historical fact, this message of the Cross is the wisdom and power of God by which the Church grows and the world turns to the Lord. We are in fellowship, but our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

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Christ is Lord of Saul (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #14) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

The Lordship of Jesus Christ means the submission and surrender and obedience of all. And this is good news because He died and rose again for our sins, and He knows what He’s doing – He is a gracious Lord. He rules for our happiness. But this may be one of the most hated Christian doctrines.

The lies of our flesh, the world, and the Devil say that God is withholding something from us, He has forgotten us, He would help but He can’t, or else that He isn’t really good. And these lies tempt us to panic, grasp, demand, get angry, and in various ways assert our own lordship which only makes us less happy. In this passage, Christ confronts the plans and misconceptions of Saul and Ananias, and what Jesus says to them, He says to every one of us: “arise and go.”

The Text: “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem…” (Acts 9:1-22).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Full of animosity, Saul takes his persecution on the road to Damascus, where Jesus confronted him with a bright, blinding light, and gave him radically new orders (Acts 9:1-9). Notice that Jesus addresses Saul personally, by name, and that He takes the persecution of His people personally, reckoning what is done to them as done to Him (Acts 9:4). Three days later, a disciple named Ananias was instructed by the Lord to go find Saul to restore his sight, and to baptize him so that he might receive the Holy Spirit, and despite his concerns, he obeyed (Acts 9:10-18). Saul immediately preached Christ in the synagogues, causing quite a stir, especially as his arguments increased in strength, confounding the Jews (Acts 9:19-22).

Kicking Against the Goads & Obedience to the Lord

When Jesus confronted Saul, He said, “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5). The image Jesus is using is taken from using oxen to plow a field, where a farmer often had a prick or goad that would be used to drive the oxen. Sometimes a goad might even be attached to the plow, such that if the animal kicked, the goad would prick them even more sharply. Sin makes people beastlike, slaves to their lusts, slaves to their passions, slaves to their emotions, slaves to their past. The call of Christ is the call to full and true humanity and freedom.  

Jesus graciously confronts Saul by saying that he is in rebellion and his rebellion is only making it more painful for himself. And Saul responds in surrender: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And the command from the Lord is to “arise and go” (Acts 9:6). The same command is given a few verses later to Ananias, “Arise and go” (Acts 9:11). Who dares order people around like this? The One who made us, the One who suffered and died for our sins. The One who is worthy of all obedience. Jesus is Lord.

THE SORROWS OF THE WICKED

In Psalm 32, a similar warning is given in the context of confession of sin: “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about” (Ps. 32:9-10).

The contrast in this psalm is between the sorrows and pains of our beastly stubbornness and the joy and relief of obedience and confession. If you are not a Christian, then you cannot have peace and joy when you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, when you are trying to be your own lord. But if you are a Christian, you cannot have peace and joy if you are refusing to obey your Lord, and in particular refusing to confess your sins. 

Years later, Saul/Paul wrote to Timothy: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Tim. 1:15-16). 

Do not despair. Do not lose hope. If Saul obtained mercy there is mercy for you and there is mercy for anyone. 

CONCLUSION

“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:9-10).

God’s grace is not a flimsy, weak thing. His grace is fiery and fierce. His grace propels us to great and joyful obedience. In Christ, God’s authority and kindness are married. His will is almighty and all-gracious. He summons us to die, but the summons to die, is an invitation to begin to really live. Your own desires and plans are often not good, right, or healthy. But when you obey the Lord joyfully, you become a force for that good. 

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