Wanting Good Things Too Much--Unsatisfied in God

This morning while biking in I listen to a C. J. Mahaney sermon on idols of the heart. He paraphrased John Calvin:

The evil in our desires usually does not lie in what we want but that we want it too much.

Often what we want is a gift from God (leisure, food, marriage, relationships, sex, pleasure, etc.) but we want it too much and in the wrong way. It becomes a sinful craving (and an idol) when we want it more than God Himself.

Romans 1:21-25 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (24) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, (25) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Outdoing the Competition, the Olympics and Our Call as Disciples

Read this article by Sam Crabtree (a friend and former mentor to me at Bethlehem Baptist Church). The article is called "2 Kinds of Outdoing" and he writes:

What should Christians, especially those who are non-sports fans, make of the Olympics?

Everything in the material universe points to something of significance in the non-material realm. By saying so, I am not trying to diminish the significance of the physical universe per se. God has ordained meaning and significance there, too. Jesus ascended bodily to heaven. Meanwhile, the material creation points to things not seen with physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes.

The Bible is bursting with numerous examples of material objects employed as metaphors. Mustard seeds point to faith. Rocks struck in the wilderness point to Jesus who is our sacrificial lamb. Manna points to nourishment that does not come by bread alone. The heavens declare not just condensation, but God’s glory.... (read the whole article here).

Growing in Godliness - Sermon

(1 Timothy 4:7-8) Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Here is the sermon manuscript from last Sunday's sermon. I am preaching a series called "Following Jesus" and this is the sixth sermon called "Growing in Godliness."

Jerry Bridges defines godliness as...

“...the idea of a personal attitude towards God that results in actions that are pleasing to God.”

I recommend reading Jerry Bridges book -- The Practice of Godliness.

Sermon audio should be available on Thursday of this week.

Addicted to a Spiritual "Crack"

Paul David Tripp recently published a powerfully piercing book on the human heart called "Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger than You." I recommend the careful reading of this book. It is well written with few wasted words.

In chapter 2 he talks about our pursuit of satisfaction in small things that were never meant to satisfy and which become like "spiritual crack." I will let you read from pages 30-31.

When the enemy somehow tricks you into squeezing the size of your life to the size of your personal dreams, wants, and needs, he has got you right where he wants you. He has won a victory every time he successfully tempts you to exchange the God-centered more for which you were created, replacing it with one of the endless catalog of me-centered "mores" that dangle before us in this fallen world. His lie is this: "Transcendence is really found when you live at the center of your world." Or, "Ultimate joy and satisfaction is found when you live for you."

Now you may be saying, "Come on, Paul, I'm biblically smart enough to know that that isn't true!" You probably do, but the struggle I am describing very often takes place inside the borders of good theology and regular participation in the scheduled programs of the church. It is possible, and maybe even quite regular, to participate in these things and still be settling, in the little moments of my daily existence, for much, much less than the transcendence for which you were created. Things as mundane as wardrobe, menu, schedule, workload, location, traffic, weather, being right, getting affirmed, money, housing, employment, gardens, family rooms, sex, leisure, who's in the bathroom first, who did what with my newspaper, who ate the last of the cereal, etc.—all of which are important in some way—rise to a spiritually dangerous level of importance in the heat of the moment. These are the moments we live in every day. The normal day is a 24-hour collection of little moments. Day after day, week after week, and year after year, these little moments set the character of a person's life.

When little things become the big thing for which I consistently fight, I have forsaken transcendence for the temporary shadow glories of creation. The temporary satisfaction and pleasure that I get will not last. These things are like spiritual crack; they will give me a quick emotional or spiritual rush, while leaving me unfilled and hungering for the next rush.