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Tough Christianity

/ Neal Embry / Leave a comment

Pride can take on various forms.  The most commonly thought of pride is one that manifests itself in a person’s words and actions, one that clearly draws attention to that person and their achievements, and this is often at the expense of someone else.

But it can also be subtle, and deceptive.  For me, the latter is true.  I’m usually not one to boast in my own achievements and draw attention to myself externally (except for that last sentence).  It’s more of a way of thinking, that may or may not show itself in my external behavior.  And it is deadly.

Over the last two and a half years, God has done a remarkable work in my life.  I no longer desire to live a life for myself, but instead, my desires, the goals I have for my life, are laid at the feet of Jesus and He is in control.  I love God more, and I love those around me more.  I’ve become more of a leader of those around me, and have served on mission trips.  I don’t struggle with sin as much as I once did, and I’ve grown in the knowledge and convictions of what it means to be a Christian, what it truly means to follow Christ.  To put it simply: I care more now than I did five or six years ago.

Pride sneaks in like a snake, and seeks to devour all of that.  Because, you see, when I look at those years, everything that is written above, it is all true.  I believe it, and those around me can see it.  But there are two problems: 1) I still make mistakes, and seem to find new ways to let God down, and 2) It is not me who does this work, but God.

Pride tells me I’m responsible for this change.  Pride tells me to smile and gloat and boast in this new person God has made me.  It’s like I boast in the crop, but forget the farmer is even there.  It’s an incredibly self-centered view of my faith, and it’s destructive.  I can look at the past two years and see, yes, God has changed me, but I’ve still done a lot of things I should not have, I’ve still made my fair share of mistakes, and my sin is just as disgusting now as it was back then, as a younger, immature Christian.

I’m convinced that being a mature Christian, being a man, is not saying “I’ve got it all together, I know what to do, and I don’t make mistakes.”  Being a mature Christian is knowing when you’ve failed, and confessing your sins to others and to God.  We do grow in holiness, and it is God who works in and through us to do this work, and we do kill sin, but we also find out, as we go along, we’re not very good at it.  My hope is, for my life and yours, my reader, that we would learn more and more how to kill sin effectively and obey Jesus.  I pray we do this, not so we gain salvation, but because we realize we have it, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and we desire to walk in a manner worthy of it, so that our Father in heaven gets the glory.

“By grace you have been saved, through faith.  And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, and not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”–Ephesians 2:8-9.  I have to constantly remind myself that salvation is ultimately not up to me.  I did not earn my salvation, I did not work for it, and I cannot add to it.  My responsibility is to live in a manner worthy of it, to not make shipwreck of it, but to honor the Lord with my life.

And I come now to confess I fail miserably at times.  Over the past two days, God has answered my prayers, and I’m reminded of why we’re told to be careful what we pray for.  For the past few months, I’d asked God to kill pride in me.  Well….I got it.  And it’s not fun.  It’s tough.

Christianity isn’t easy.  It’s tough.  It’s hard work.  It is a joyful work, because we rest in the salvation that has been granted to us by Christ Jesus, and it is our joy to imitate our Father, but still….it’s tough.  And sometimes it hurts.  I’ve literally been in anguish and despair, crying out to God, “Why do I still do this?”  “Do you even want me to go to the Philippines this summer?”  “I’m not worthy!”

Let me make one thing clear: There’s a fine line between Godly sorrow and conviction, as a result of God’s discipline, that leads to repentance, and a worldly, guilt-ridden, self-centered repentance that seeks only a hall pass from guilt.  If all we want is God to make us feel better, we need to stop praying and go see a therapist, because God won’t do that.  Trust me, I’ve tried.  Tried it for years.

Wake up to the reality that God doesn’t just want to pardon you….He wants to change you.  And it’s not easy.  We glorify the fact that God changes us, as we should, and we should praise Him for it, but I’m afraid that we make it seem like this light, fluffy toy and fun job we get to do, when in reality, what it often means is this: Falling flat on your face before the God of the universe and confessing that you’re worse off than you ever thought you were, and you desperately need His grace to make you whole again.

Thank the Lord for sending Jesus to take our place and die on the cross, amen?  Without Jesus, I have no good thing, says the Psalmist (Psalm 16:2).  The verse before tells us that we long for God to preserve us, and Jesus confirms this promise by saying that He will not lose His sheep (John 17).  Jesus Himself, the Son of God, God the Son, prays to the Father that He would keep us, and preserve us, and that Jesus has not lost us, and never will lose us.  We are eternally justified by what He did on the cross, and it is applied to us when our hearts are made new by the Spirit, at conversion (or regeneration).  There’s nothing more to add to that.

What’s your response to this?  Do you long to keep doing what you’re doing, and just take this as a gift card or hall pass?  Or do you long to live worthy of this great calling?  Christians, our desire must be (not should be, not can be, but must be) to live in a way worthy of the calling to salvation we have received.  We do not obey to get in the family of God, or to stay in it, but we obey because we are in, by the grace of Jesus, and we want, more than we want anything else, to imitate our heavenly Father.  Read Joshua Harris’ book “Dug Down Deep,” especially the chapter on sanctification: “Changed, Changing, to be Changed.”  It’s a great, understandable read on the biblical theology of sanctification.

We must desire Jesus.  Not to not go to hell.  Not to be guilt-free.  But we must desire Jesus.  And in our new life, bought for and controlled by Jesus, we still see this remaining sin.  And we should hate it.  If we do not hate it, then we may not be saved.  This doesn’t mean you won’t ever sin again.  I think it’s fair to see we can have more than one desire.  But one desire will always be greater than the other.  I desire to study for my finals (yes, at some level, this is true).  However, my greater desire, at this present moment, is to write this blog post.  That’s why my Sociology notes are under my Bible.  So, it follows that we can have this fleshly desire to sin, i.e. if I see an attractive girl walk past me on the street, my fleshly impulse/desire is to turn around and try to look after her in lust.  But my new desires, my new, Christ-filled, Christ-given life, lead me to reject that, and say, “No, for I will find satisfaction in God alone.”  Temporary pleasures are seen as such: temporary.  We crave for and long for eternal, fulfilling, perfect satisfaction found in God alone.

Going back to the idea of Christianity is tough, we see that the above situation can end in two different ways.  And yes, if you are a follower of Christ, you should, more and more, choose to not set your eyes on evil things, but to set them on God.  But we will then see that we still have remaining sin.  As I grow farther and farther away from lust, I see that I still struggle with other things, such as pride, or apathy, or laziness.  More often now I see that I don’t do things I should: I may improve on not lusting after a sister in Christ, but I must replace this with loving her, caring for her, and building her up.  I may improve on not having pride, but I must replace this with a humility that drives me to serve others, not caring what the cost is for me.

We cannot be closet dwellers.  We are called to go out into the world and share the gospel of Christ.  But before we go, I urge you, Christian, to get alone with God, and ask Him to reveal to you any sin that needs to be dealt with.  This is tough, and it is hard, and to use the language I want…it sucks.  It’s not fun.  It’s not a joy.  There are a million other things I’d rather do, but, in my heart, that deepest desire is to be like Jesus, and to be enabled to go out and live a life that shouts His name above all else, and in order to do that, I must throw down my idols and repent of sin, and submit to Jesus and Godly discipline.  I’m not going this summer because I’m perfect, or worthy.  I’m going because there are people who need Jesus, and the Bible says they won’t believe unless I go to tell them.  It’s that simple.  But with that, God has given me a call to be faithful, and ready, and be diligent, trusting in Him to equip and empower me by the Spirit.  And I confess to you this afternoon that I haven’t done that all too well, and wish I could have a few more weeks.  I have a month before I leave.  But here’s the cool thing about God’s discipline, and the “tough” side of Christianity:

It leads back to grace.  As I cry out, mourning my sin, and lamenting that I could be so stupid, so apathetic, so lukewarm and weak, so many times, I receive grace, and this grace not only forgives, but it drives me into the arms of my Father, and it stirs a passion in my heart for the call He has placed on my life.  So now, He’s answered another prayer, that He would rekindle that flame in me for the people of the Philippines, that as I go, I would go passionately, courageously, and would be excited to see what He does through me and the people I’ll be working with.  And He did that by bringing me to repentance, and to lay down my sinful pride.

Repentance is beautiful.  God’s discipline is beautiful.  Tough Christianity is so much better than some weak, shallow faith that says “everything’s good, chill, and live a fun life.”  That’s not Christianity.  That’s some kind of garbage logic out of a therapist’s book designed to make people feel better.  It’s not about feeling better, it’s not about you getting something from God…it’s about you giving your life to Him and giving the God of the universe the praise and worship He deserves.  Salvation is a gift, and all of His blessings are a gift, lest we forget, as I am prone to do.

The race is not complete.  I boast in Jesus, for what He’s done here at Montevallo, and when I graduate in a couple years (hopefully), I’ll say the same.  But there is still much to learn.  I still have a lot of maturing and growing to do, and I look forward to it, even if it’s hard.  And now, I ask you to pray for me this summer.  As I said before, I have a month, and there’s a tremendous amount of things that need to be done during the next month.  Look for a prayer list coming out after I get back home next weekend.  Please be in prayer for me and my team, and for all those who are serving the Lord this summer.  But what I want you to pray about, and think about, more than anything else, is this:

Will you join me?  Will you join me, and countless others, as we pursue Christ?  As we reject this shallow faith that bids us live comfortably, and embrace a Savior and Lord in Jesus that bids us come and die everyday, at whatever cost to us?  Will you repent, and receive grace, grace that can only come from Him?  Will you allow God to kill pride, lust, deceit, or anything else in you tonight?  Will you step out this summer and serve on mission?  Maybe not in the Philippines, but in your neighborhood, on your campus, in your workplace.

Echo the words of Paul in Philippians 3 where he writes: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Jesus is Lord.  Pride kills.  Ask the Lord to kill pride, to kill sin, and submit to Him, not hoping that you’ll get something in return, but confident that we already have all we need in Him, and now, we are free to give our lives to Him, as He makes us holy, as the One who saves us also changes us.  We are free to worship the King in all that we do, even if it means our death, for our life is hid with Christ on high.

Putting these things into practice is what’s hard.  I believe the majority of what’s happened here at Montevallo for me is I know what to do.  I know, more than I did, but not perfectly, what it means to follow Jesus, and I’m catching that fire.  The hard part is fanning it into flame, and putting it in practice.  So I invite you, my reader, to join me as I strive to do this, by the power of the Spirit within me, who alone bears fruit, to do this one thing that I was created for: Glorify God.  I was made for Him.  You were made for Him.  Let us know these things, and let us ask God to help us put it into practice.  The pain, the toughness, the hurt, and the mourning will all be for our good, as we rest in the presence of God, and as He changes our very lives.  And one day, He will bring us home.

Father God, may we be changed by the gospel.  May we not come to you to escape hell, but may we come to you to receive you, for you are all we need.  May we repent of our sin, and realize that we are not perfect, and we need your grace.  Thank you for Jesus, who died on the cross to eternally pay for our sin and to open our eyes to you.  As our eyes open to you, Lord, we realize we still have remaining sin.  And we hate it.  Father, may we, by your Power, kill this sin in our lives and seek to honor you.  May we not seek to add to salvation by our works, but because of salvation, put to death the work of the flesh, which is sin, and seek to do the work laid out for us by You.  May we be diligent about the work, this joyful work of spreading the gospel, in all that we do.  May we confess our sins to receive grace, and to be changed, by You and You alone.  May we not take for granted your patience, kindness, and mercy.  And even in Your discipline, may we rejoice, as it is a sign of Your love for us.

May you be encouraged, comforted, and changed by the work of God in my life.  To God be the glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

God bless,

Neal E.

The Significance of the Resurrection

/ Neal Embry / Leave a comment

He is risen!  I hope you all are having a marvelous Resurrection Day, as we remember our risen Savior.  This day, we remember the single greatest, most important event in the history of the world: the resurrection of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.  Death could not hold our Lord and Savior.

Today we wrap up the “Jesus Died” series with the resurrection.  You see, Jesus did die, and that’s what this series has been about.  But the good news is that He did not stay in the grave.  He rose again.  So today, I’ll be looking at three truths and conclusions from the resurrection.  This is by no means exhaustive, as the implications of the resurrection and the bearing it has on our lives are infinite, but hopefully you take truth from this and we can more clearly see what happened when that tomb was rolled away and our Savior rose.

1) The Gospel, and Jesus, is true!

If the resurrection had not happened, Jesus would have been a liar, and our faith would be in vain, and there would be absolutely no reason to live.  Thank goodness the resurrection is true, and that grave is empty.

Jesus prophesied in John 2:19, after cleansing the temple, that He would rise again: “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘it has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’  But he was speaking about the temple of his body.  When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

If this had not come true, if Jesus was not raised, then it would stand to call Jesus a liar.  If He was a liar, He was not perfect.  If He was not perfect, He cannot take away our sin, and death would have won, and we would have no hope.  However, we know that Jesus was raised.  In fact, we see that Jesus had a role in His resurrection.  He said “I will raise it up.”

John 11:25: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'”

Do you believe this?  That’s the question we must all ask ourselves.  If we have only head knowledge, we have nothing.  We must place all of our faith, hope, and our very lives on the risen Savior.  Jesus asked this to Martha, and her response was to call Jesus the “Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”  Are we willing to lay down our lives to the one who gave it all up for us?

Since the gospel is true, we also know our sins are forgiven.  Look back on the most famous verse in Scripture: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”–John 3:16-17

Romans 8:1–“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 5:21–“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

We are free, Christians.

2) Jesus lives as our High Priest

Reflecting on what God has done should not stop at salvation, for God’s love did not stop at the cross.  It did not end at conversion.  The truth of the gospel, and the blessings of grace, continue throughout our lives.  God has saved us and justified us in Christ, but there is still work to be done in this life, not for salvation, but as a result of it.  Those whom come to know Christ, God has ordained that they will become like Him.  That’s exciting to me.  We are being transformed.  This does not come easy though.  Christians, can we be honest and say we’re quick to mess up the new life we have in Christ?  Can we be honest with ourselves and say we still make mistakes?  And then, would you look with me in Scripture and see the Savior who was perfect for us, and whose love never leaves us?

Hebrews 7:23-28: “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.  For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.  He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.  For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.”

Eat this up.  Savor it.  Jesus is our high priest.  We need no earthly priest to take away our sin, and we have no need for a mediator.  The Bible is clear that Jesus is our mediator.  All of our efforts to absolve ourselves of sin fall short.  Jesus alone can take our sins away and forgive us.  And He does so perfectly and permanently.

Look at 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  Jesus said the same when He said He’s come to save “not the righteous, but the sick.”  Those who are self-righteous, and see themselves as having no sin, will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  The gospel must first be the bad news that we are all sinners and unworthy of God before it can be the good news of salvation for those sinners.  In order to be saved, to trust in Christ, we must recognize our sin, and repent.  But repentance brings a firm promise: Jesus will forgive if we confess and repent of our sin.  Look at verse 9, one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

All unrighteousness.  All of it.  Jesus paid it all.  And He is making all things new.  When we come to know Jesus, we have all of our sins washed away: past, present, and future.  Jesus’ grace is strong enough to cover all of our sin.  Do we seriously believe that Jesus is unable to cover sin we commit after coming to know Him?  Because if He’s not….not many people are Christians.  God’s love doesn’t just save us…it sustains us.  It convicts us.  It leads us back to repentance, so we may receive grace to walk in Christ again.

However, the Bible is also clear (1 John 3:4-6) that those who continue in unrepentant, persistent, habitual sin with no regard for Christ and holiness are not true believers.  We all will struggle and stray off the path.  God knows this, and is perfectly prepared to bring us back by His grace.  But for those who think that going to church, doing religious things, and being moral make them perfect and right before God, the bad news is is that those things do not take away sin.  They smell to God.  And the smell isn’t pretty.  Put your faith in Jesus, throw all of your hope, and your soul itself, on Jesus and His work, and be saved.

1 John 2:1-3: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”

If we sin, does God stop loving us?  It’s a question on the back of Christian’s minds everywhere: If I sin, and struggle with sin, even severely, after coming to know Jesus…does God still love me?

If we love God, it is because He has first loved us (1 John 4:19).  Perfect love does not let go.  Romans 8:31-35 says “What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

For those whom God has called, those whom He has loved through Jesus Christ, His love is permanent, unchanging, and faithful.  This does not mean we can’t displease Him, for we can.  But if we hold fast to Christ, and we have given our lives to Him in salvation, then throughout our lives what I’m convinced will happen is this: The same love which saved us and gave us new life will sanctify us in our failures by leading us to repent, and to receive grace and forgiveness, and to lead us back to Christ.  That same love will teach us, lead us, and guide us, and eventually, one day, that grace, that love, so marvelously shown at Calvary, will bring us home.

For the Christian, the desire to sin, in an enslaving, dominant way, has been killed.  Sin seemed to have a grip on me, for years, but because I knew Christ, it could not hold me down, and by God’s good and perfect grace, He has led me to repentance, and is teaching me what it means to follow Jesus as Lord.  God’s love never leaves us.  If you’re a Christian, and you’re struggling with sin…welcome to the club.  You’re not alone.  Paul’s letters to churches show that every Christian from every generation has struggled with sin in one way or another.  But our nature, our desires, have changed, and this leads to repentance, which leads us back to grace.  God’s discipline is love.  He disciplines us and convicts us, so that we will repent and find our joy in Jesus.

Jesus is the high priest that intercedes for His people constantly.  While we are still here on Earth, Jesus promises to guide us, to sanctify us, and to lead us back to Him.  His grace is good, and is always stronger than our sin.  Repent, be restored, and abide in Christ.  In doing this, you will die to yourself and begin to obey Christ more and more.  In this death, you shall truly live.  We die to sin every day, as we rise with Christ to walk by the Spirit which is ours.  Christian, do not desire sin.  Pray constantly.  Rest in what Jesus has done, repent, be filled, and obey the Lord by trusting in Him.

3) Jesus is coming back.

This is great news.  Not only did Jesus die to take away our sins, not only does He now live to be our great high priest who forgives His sheep, but our risen and reigning Savior is coming back to rule for all eternity.

1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We have hope, a great inheritance, that is awaiting us when we obtain our eternal salvation, kept for us by Jesus through our faith.  That’s pretty cool…our faith is being guarded by the God of all creation who gave it to us to begin with.  I think that’s awesome.  You won’t find this security in anything or anyone else.  Man, Jesus is good!

How can one be saved?  I hope that pastors and ministers around the country hear this every day, especially today.  Put your faith in Jesus, acknowledge your sin and repent, turn away from it, and lay it on Jesus.  Trust in Him for salvation, and give your life to Him as Lord.  The Bible does not promise health and wealth.  The prosperity gospel is a lie from hell.  What the Bible does promise is that Jesus will never leave you and He will never forsake you, no matter what you do, no matter what happens.  He leads us to Himself, to be saved, to be renewed, to repent, to receive grace, and the great hope for believers…to lead us home.

The Christian life is hard.  It’s not easy, it’s messy.  We’re not perfect, we trust in the Lamb who was and is and is to come.  I don’t have it all together, and I’m a work in progress.  But my boss, my potter, and my Lord is the God of the universe, and He is alive, and working, not just in my life, but in the world around me.  That’s reason to rejoice.

Yet, as we rejoice today, remember that we have brothers and sisters around the world who risk their lives to celebrate the risen King.  Pray for the persecuted, that they would continue to shine the light of Christ in the darkest night.  And may we go and give our lives to spread the gospel.  Fulfill the Great Commission.  We are saved from God’s wrath to God’s purpose, to go and declare His glory to the ends of the earth.  Do it.

And one day, peoples from every tribe, tongue, and nation, will fill the heavens, and shout “Worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”  With one voice, we will shout “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”  For all eternity, we will worship the King: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

May you be encouraged by the truth of the resurrection this Easter Sunday.  May this be a time to reflect on the faithfulness of our God, who is quick to save those who call on Him, and quick to restore those in hurt, those in sin, those who long for Him.  May we rest and rejoice in the amazing fact that God loved us before we even thought of Him.  May you know Jesus, love Jesus, and obey Jesus.

He is risen indeed.

God bless,

Neal E.