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Laugh Your Adversary to Scorn | Fighter Verses

Laugh Your Adversary to Scorn | Fighter Verses

Jonathan Parnell | Wed, Jul 6, 2011 | Set 1 Week 26

We don’t often think about our struggles or temptations as a direct assault from the enemy. In 1530, Martin Luther wrote a letter to a friend in the midst of depression and advised him in terms of spiritual warfare.

. . . Excellent Jerome, You ought to rejoice in this temptation of the devil because it is a certain sign that God is propitious and merciful to you. You say that the temptation is heavier than you can bear, and that you fear that it will so break and beat you down as to drive you to despair and blasphemy. I know this wile of the devil. If he cannot break a person with his first attack, he tries by persevering to wear him out and weaken him until the person falls and confesses himself beaten.
Whenever this temptation comes to you, avoid entering upon a disputation with the devil and do not allow yourself to dwell on those deadly thoughts, for to do so is nothing short of yielding to the devil and letting him have his way. Try as hard as you can to despise those thoughts which are induced by the devil. In this sort of temptation and struggle, contempt is the best and easiest method of winning over the devil. Laugh your adversary to scorn and ask who it is with whom you are talking. By all means flee solitude, for the devil watches and lies in wait for you most of all when you are alone. This devil is conquered by mocking and despising him, not by resisting and arguing with him. . .
Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel, 85.

Sex as a Sign and Appetizer of Something More by Justin Taylor

A most provocative sentence in Bruce Marshall’s novel The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith (1944):

The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.

I think Peter Kreeft is on the right track in his analysis:

I think a secularist has only one substitute left for God, only one experience in a desacrilized world that still gives him something like the mystical, self-transcending thrill of ecstasy that God designed all souls to have forever, and to long for until they have it. Unless he is a surfer, that experience has to be sex. We’re designed for more than happiness; we’re designed for joy. Aquinas writes, with simple logic, “Man cannot live without joy. That is why one deprived of true spiritual joys must spill over to carnal pleasures.”
Drugs and alcohol are attractive because they claim to feed the same need. The lack the ontological greatness of sex, but they provide the same semi-mystical thrill: the transcendence of reason and self-consciousness. I do not mean this merely as moral condemnation, but as psychological analysis.
In fact, though they sound shocking, I think the addict is closer to the deepest truth than the mere moralist. He is looking for the very best thing in some of the very worst places. His demand for a state in which he transcends morality is very wrong, but it’s also very right. For we are designed for something beyond morality, something in which morality will be transformed. Mystical union with God. Sex is a sign and appetizer of that.
Moral absolutists must never forget that morality, though absolute, is not ultimate. It is not our Summum Bonum. Sinai is not the Promised Land; Jerusalem is. And in the New Jerusalem, what finally happens as the last chapter of human history is a wedding between the Lamb and His bride. Deprived of this Jerusalem, we must buy into Babylon. If we do not worship God, we will worship idols, for we are by nature worshipers.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/05/20/sex-as-a-sign-and-appetizer-of-something-more/
http://www.peterkreeft.com/audio/05_relativism/relativism_transcription.htm

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69428826/1945-the-world-the-flesh-and-father

"Always remember that you can't see into other people's souls, but you can see into your own..." Bruce Marshall

Washing Feet Ray Stedman

Read the Scripture: John 13:12-17

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet (John 13:14).

What does Jesus mean when He says that we ought to wash one another's feet? Some Christians have taken this very literally and have thought that our Lord was here instituting another sacrament.

Jesus is not giving us another sacrament to follow here. But what He means is that just as we need the cleansing and forgiveness of our Lord to maintain the sense of unity and refreshment of spirit in our Christian life, so we need to extend to one another free forgiveness for guilt and for the injury that we may do to one another. We are to be, in the words of Paul, "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

He knows that it is difficult sometimes to forgive, that the flesh within cries out for revenge. And often we love the feeling of carrying a grudge or of resisting the overtures of other people. But Jesus says that when we are doing that, we are doing what He would not do. We are demanding our rights. And we are forgetting that our Lord and Master humbled Himself, though He was rightfully the Lord of glory, the one with every right to claim the worship of people. Nevertheless, He laid it all aside. He washed the feet of His own disciples.

No Christian has any right to sit in self-righteous judgment upon another. We may bring others under the searching light of the Word of God. We may, out of concern and compassion for their welfare, expose to them what they are doing. But in no sense are we to do so with self-righteousness, with the suggestion that we would never do a thing like that. Our Lord insists that we wash one another's feet in love.

Dr. H. A. Ironside pointed out how wise it is to be concerned about the temperature of the water when we wash one another's feet. An angry person will be so distracted by what has happened that he or she will use boiling water, but people don't want their feet washed in boiling water. Some come with a holier-than-thou attitude and attempt to use freezing-cold water to wash another's feet. No one will allow it under those conditions. Others attempt to wash people's feet with no water at all. They tear into another, attempting to scrape away the dirt, and the skin along with it. What they say may be true, but it is offered up with no love at all. But our Lord insists that we wash one another's feet in love.

Help me, Lord, to so love my brothers and sisters in Christ that I am willing to wash their feet and am willing to allow them to wash mine. May I do so in tenderness and warmth, knowing how gentle You are with me.

When You Don't Need A Bath! Ray Stedman

Read the Scripture: John 13:10-11

Jesus answered A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean (John 13:10a).

Jesus had said earlier, What I do now you don't understand. In asking for a bath, Peter proved that he didn't understand what was happening. So Jesus corrects him again. And in those words He gives us a beautiful explanation of the process of salvation. It begins with a bath. That initial coming to Christ, in which we take the place of bankruptcy before Him, coming without any vestige of our own righteousness to offer and allowing Him to cleanse us, is likened to a bath in which we are washed all over, completely, from head to foot. Jesus, of course, is alluding to a very common social practice in those days. It was the custom to take a bath before you went out to a meal. But in walking through the dirty streets of the city with sandals on, your feet would be defiled. And so when you arrived as a guest, a servant would wash your feet. But you would not need to repeat the bath.
So Jesus is saying, When you first come to me, you are bathed; you are clean all over. This is what the Bible calls justification by faith. It is a washing away of all the guilt and sin of the entire life--past, present, and future. But as you walk through life, Jesus knows your feet will be defiled during your walk, and that needs to be washed away. Thus He teaches us that not only do we need that initial, never-to-be-repeated cleansing, but we also need the many-times-repeated experience of forgiveness, of coming to Christ for the cleansing away of the defilement of our walk. This determines that we have a part with Him.
In other words, the enjoyment of our relationship with Christ is lost when we are temporarily defiled by wrongdoing in our life. We lose the enjoyment of our relationship with Him. His attitude toward us doesn't change, but our attitude toward Him does. That is why we are taught all through the Scriptures to confess our sins (1 John 1:9). And the moment we do so, that original cleansing is renewed to us, and we go on again, restored.
Peter's error is being repeated today. There are those who refuse to have Jesus wash their feet. They are rejecting the indispensable requisite for enjoying their relationship with Christ. When people refuse to let Jesus wash their feet, they lose that sense of partnership with Him. On the other hand, there are those who feel that they need a bath all over again when they sin, that they have lost their salvation and that somehow they have to start over in their Christian experience. But Jesus teaches us by this whole process we need only one bath. This is reflected in the truth of baptism. You are baptized once, as the initial act. But the Lord's Supper reflects the washing of the feet, the need for cleansing from sin throughout life.

Thank You, Father, that You have washed away all my sin and guilt, and I now stand righteous in Your sight. Teach me to come to You each day, confessing my sin, allowing You to restore me to that close fellowship with You for which I was made.

Life Application: What is behind feeling detached from a loving God? When we feel out of relationship with Jesus Christ, what can we choose to do?

The Family's Chief End

Ishmael Must Go! Ray Stedman

Read the Scripture: Genesis 21:8-13

But God said to him, Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned (Genesis 21:12).

If Isaac represents the gladsome fullness of the fruit of the Spirit, then Ishmael represents some pet manifestation of our self-life in which we find comfort and delight and that we do not want to surrender. Some place value on what they have long suspected is not what God would have but that they were reluctant to give up. Perhaps it is some long-standing habit that we have been defending. There can be habits or values in our lives that are really some form of self-indulgence. God may allow them for a while, but the time comes when He says, Now, these have to go.
God says that Ishmael could never share in the inheritance with Isaac. This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (John 3:6). When the time comes for us to stand before our Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, our lives will be classified into two areas: works of wood, hay, and straw, which are of the flesh; and those of gold, silver, and precious stones, which are of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). The Lord says to us as he says to Abraham, Ishmael must go. If you refuse to expose, examine, and remove that which is born of the flesh, even though God has said that it hurts you and He has shown you the peace, joy, and love that is the fruit of the Spirit, then you must face this choice as Abraham did.
Dr. Barnhouse once wrote, Early in my ministry, I had the idea that I must strike out against all error wherever I saw it... if error was in some fundamental leader with whom I was in 95% agreement, I swung hard at the 5%. This made Dr. Barnhouse a highly controversial figure, often unmercifully sharp and dogmatic. This zeal for truth became an Ishmael in his life. Then he tells how there came a time when the Spirit of God taught him to love, and he faced the choice—Ishmael had to go. He had to learn to be more understanding and more tolerant of some of the variant views of others.
He wrote, Some time ago, I published a New Year's resolution expressing regret that I had had differences with men who are truly born again. The results of that resolution were astounding. In the years that followed its publication, my ministry has been transformed. The closing years of his life show much of his mellowing and of the sweetness of the fruit of the Spirit in one who before had been so harsh, critical, and demanding.
I don't know what form Ishmael may be taking in your life, but I know there are times when God says to us, simply, this must go. There can be no manifestation of the life of the Spirit any longer until this is dealt with. Abraham obeyed. Early in the morning, he got up and took bread and a skin of water and, though it cost him heartbreak to do it, sent Hagar and Ishmael out, so that he might have the fullness of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Lord, I ask that I would sincerely long to be a completely yielded vessel of Your joy and strength and peace. May I have the grace to cast out Ishmael and find the fullness and joy of Isaac.

Life Application: Old habits and thought patterns can become comfortable. Do we respond obediently when God asks us to put them away so our inner healing can bring lasting joy?

Seeds: Perfect Example

Children Desiring God

Community Outreach: Amarillo, TX—Vacation Bible School from Children Desiring God on Vimeo.

Disappointed by Jesus

July 1, 2011 John Bloom
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/disappointed-by-jesus
How does God want us to deal with the emotion we call disappointment?
Joseph Barsabbas was disappointed by Jesus. Joseph was a candidate to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve, but when the lot was cast it “fell on Matthias” (Acts 1:26). I’ll bet that was a blow.
The Bible never mentions Joseph again. But tradition says he later became the Bishop of Eleutheropolis (32 miles southwest of Jerusalem) and died a martyr. Assuming that’s accurate, imagine what Joseph may have learned about disappointment and how he might have counseled a disappointed young disciple twenty years later.
________
Bishop Joseph looked at his sullen disciple. “You’re disappointed.”
“Yes,” replied Primus.
“Why?”
The answer seemed obvious. Primus suspected a teaching moment. “I was just hoping for the appointment to the Antioch church that Asher received.”
“Well, that’s the occasion of your disappointment. My question is why are you disappointed?”
Suspicion confirmed. Primus just wanted to sulk in peace. He hoped downplaying his discontent would shorten the lesson. “Asher’s a good friend. I’m glad for him. I just thought studying at Antioch would be a great opportunity. I’ll get over it.”
“Studying at Antioch is a great opportunity. My question remains: why are you disappointed?”
Primus’ face flushed with impatience. “Well, if Antioch is a great opportunity and I’m missing the opportunity, isn’t it okay to feel disappointed?”
“Oh! You feel disappointed. Being disappointed and feeling disappointed are different issues.”
Primus knew he was taking the bait, but he couldn’t help it. “What do you mean?”
“Primus, what is my favorite quote from the greatest man born of women?”
“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (John 3:27).
“Good! So, if you did not receive the appointment to Antioch, you were dis-appointed. Who disappointed you?”
“I know. I know God reigns over these things. But God also understands our feeling disappointment, doesn’t he?
“Does he?”
“Well, let me ask you a question. When the lot fell to Matthias, didn’t you feel disappointed?
“Yes, I felt quite disappointed—and a bit embarrassed.”
“That wasn’t wrong, was it? I mean you were almost one of the Twelve. It seems natural to feel disappointed over something that.”
“Yes, it was wrong. It was wrong because it was rooted in unbelief in my Savior and my selfish pride. I was doubting the promise that “no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). I was doubting that the One who was crucified for my sin and called me out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9) really had my best in mind. And it exposed my selfish ambition. It wasn’t until the lot fell on Matthias that I realized how much I wanted that position for my own reputation. Apostleship is a worthy office to aspire to, but when the Lord appointed another, thereby dis-appointing me, much of my “disappointment” was rooted in a frustrated desire for my own glory. ”
Primus stared thoughtfully at the floor.
“Every disciple is disappointed by Jesus, Primus. Our response of “disappointment” may be natural to our fallen natures, but it is not neutral. It is not vague and detached. It has roots directly connected to something we believe. Jesus wants you follow the roots. If you find that sin is feeding your disappointment, he is showing you a kindness meant to lead you to repentance.
And, like me, one day you may look back on your disappointment as the best thing that never happened to you.”
________
A very precious thing Jesus says to you, as a disciple, is this: “You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit . . .” (John 15:16).
But this also implies that Jesus will dis-appoint you many times—meaning, there are some appointments from which Jesus will remove you, and others that he simply will not grant to you.
At these times we must “not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). In Christ, God is pursuing you only with goodness and mercy (Psalm 23:6). His promise is this: “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?” (Romans 8:32)
When feeling disappointed, follow your emotions to their roots. You will find unbelief that requires the herbicide of God’s promises for you.